Department of Economics

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    When marriage ends: Determinants and consequences of union dissolution in India
    Dutta, Mousumi; Husain, Zakir
    The thesis seeks to investigate the incidence and determinants of union dissolution, and its effect on the empowerment of women. The study addresses the following questions: 1. What are the incidence and trends of union dissolution in India? 2. What are the determinants of union dissolution and remarriage in India? 3. Does the marital status of woman impact participation in SHGs? 4. Does the empowering effect of SHG depend upon the marital status of woman? The thesis uses information from the Social & Cultural tables (C-series) from the Census for the year 1991, 2001 & 2011 and data from the fifth round of National Family Health Survey. Union dissolution has been consistently increasing over the years from 1991 to 2011. Dissolution rates have been higher in rural India compared to urban India for the years 1991 and 2001. Over the years, separation has been the dominant form of dissolution. The present study reveals that women who are already socio-economically vulnerable are at greater risk of facing union dissolution. Remarriage, however, does not appear to be related with socio- economic status and may be considered to be a personal choice and immediate situation, rather than being a socially driven phenomenon. The study stresses on the need to provide legal protection to women being abandoned and divorced, and introducing measures to ensure their socio-economic welfare. However, the present study warns that access to microcredit and its use may be mediated by family members, particularly husbands who may exploit structural vulnerabilities faced by women to use their labor for debt repayment. Consequently, it is necessary to recognize the heterogeneity in position of women in society and recognize the diversity in limitations on access to microcredit and opportunities for utilizing them. We call for a more nuanced understanding of the issues underlying gender inequality to arrive at suitable policy responses that effectively increases empowerment level and the capability set of divorced and separated women through programs less amenable to capture by dominant agents within the immediate environment of women.
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    Silent bruises: Essays on determinants of intimate partner violence in India, and its consequences
    Husain, Zakir; Dutta, Mousumi
    This dissertation investigates the determinants and consequences of intimate partner violence (IPV) in India. The research questions are: 1) what is the relationship between empowerment and IPV at the individual level, 2) what are the determinants of IPV at the community level, 3) does witnessing parental violence as a child determine the probability of the respondents’ victimisation as an adult, and 4) whether maternal exposure to IPV determines children’s anthropometric outcomes. The study uses data from the Demographic Health Survey (DHS). The first question is analysed using the third and fourth rounds of DHS data (2005-06 and 2015-16). The second question is analysed using spatial models at the district level; such data is available only for the fourth round of DHS. After completing the analysis for (1) and (2), the fifth round of DHS (2019-21) was publicly released and was used to examine the last two research questions. The analysis of the relationship between IPV and empowerment, using a control function approach, found the relationship between empowerment and IPV to vary over the period of study; moreover, the relationship depended upon the form of the violence studied. Analysis using spatial regression models reveals a higher incidence of IPV in India’s eastern states than in their western counterparts. Districts characterized by low empowerment levels, high child-sex ratio, road connectivity, and a high proportion of socially marginalised groups are associated with higher IPV levels. Spatial spillovers are also observed in the incidence of IPV. The study reveals that IPV has adverse consequences on the victim’s children. Non-parametric kernel-based estimates reveal that childhood exposure to spousal physical violence increases the respondent’s likelihood of experiencing all forms of violence as an adult; this effect varies with education, empowerment levels, and household asset holding. Further, a mother’s exposure to IPV can also lead to adverse nutritional outcomes (stunting, underweight, or a hyper-critical group comprising of children who are both stunted and underweight) in the victim’s children — as indicated by results of a Two Stage Least Square models and validated by a control function approach. The study concludes by arguing in favour of empowering women, particularly at the community level, to reduce the incidence of IPV.