India – Unwanted Sex Common Among Young Married Women in India – Survey

http://wunrn.wpengine.com

Guttmacher Institute Survey:

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3312407.html

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http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/84967.php

Nearly half of young wives in the Indian states of Gujarat and West Bengal
experience unwanted sex: 12% frequently and another 32% occasionally, according
to “Consent and
Coercion: Examining Unwanted Sex Among Married Young Women in India,” which
appears in the September 2007 issue of International Family Planning
Perspectives.

Using survey data and in-depth interviews with 1,644 young married women,
authors K.G. Santhya of the Population Council, et al., identify factors that
predict a woman’s likelihood of experiencing unwanted sex with her husband.
They find that wealthier women, women who knew their husbands before they got
married and women whose husbands support them during family conflicts are less
likely than their peers to experience unwanted sex.

Frequent coerced sex is more likely to occur among recently married young
women than among pregnant women or new mothers, suggesting that the pressure to
have a first child leaves some young married women especially vulnerable to
sexual coercion. In addition, the more circumstances in which a woman believes
it is justifiable for a husband to beat his wife, the more likely she is to
experience unwanted sex. Young women with lower levels of education are also at
greater risk than their more educated peers.

These findings offer valuable insights for programs and policies aimed at
protecting young women from unwanted sex within marriage. Such programs should
target newly married couples to foster supportive relationships which protect
against unwanted sex. HIV and unintended pregnancy prevention programs should
incorporate counseling and education on sexual coercion. In addition, programs
are needed to address men’s sense of entitlement when it comes to sex within
marriage.