Domestic violence and constrained contraceptive choices in selected areas of Osun State, Nigeria

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of domestic violence on the use of modern contraceptive methods in Ife-North Local Government area of Osun State, Nigeria. The two forms of domestic violence discussed in this paper are wife beating and marital rape (non-consensual sexual encounters). The data for this paper was obtained from a survey of 408 married or cohabiting women aged 15–49 years in 2003, using multistage random sampling technique. Two-hundred-and-fifty-five eligible respondents were selected from Ipetumodu using systematic random sampling technique, while 153 eligible respondents were selected from Asipa using a combination of systematic random sampling technique and lottery method. Information was collected through the use of structured questionnaires and focus group discussions (FGDs). Four FGD sessions were held with some respondents chosen on the basis of marriage and age. Data management was done using Epi-Info version 6.0 while SPSS PC+ was used for the analysis. The statistical analysis was done using simple descriptive statistics, Chi-square and binary logistic regression model. Results showed that domestic violence in the form of wife beating and marital rape existed in the study area as 55.6% of the women reported having been threatened with physical harassment by their partners; and 62.0% had experienced physical abuse from their intimate partner. More than half of the respondents reported experiencing non-consensual sexual encounters with their partners (55.9%). Among the 17.2% who experienced domestic violence during pregnancy, only 13.7% took some steps to protect themselves. The major coping strategy for those who experienced these forms of violence was pacifying their partners in a crisis situation (25.7%). The study concluded that the threat of wife beating and experience of marital rape contributed to the likelihood of the women not using modern contraceptive methods in the study area. Population education should be intensified to sensitise both men and women more on modern contraceptive education. The education should emphasise the need for gender equality, advocacy against domestic violence, as well as women's rights generally.

Keywords:

• domestic violence
• contraception
• gender equality

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank the Council for the Development of Economic and Social Research in Africa (CODESRIA) for the financial support of the original thesis from where the data for this paper emanated from under its Small Grant for thesis writing in 2002 and the anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments.