CREDIT PROGRAMS, PATRIARCHY AND MENS VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN RURAL BANGLADESH

Although violence by men against women in Bangladesh occurs in most ca ses within the home, in a larger sense it does not originate in the ho me nor persist only within the home. It is simply one element in a sys tem that subordinates women through social norms that define women's p lace and guide their conduct. This paper uses ethnographic and structu red survey data from a study in rural Bangladesh to explore the relati onship between domestic violence against women and their economic and social dependence. It describes some of the common situations in which violence against women occurs in Bangladeshi society, analyzes its la rger context, and identifies factors that appear to lessen its inciden ce in this particular socio-economic setting. The study findings sugge st that group-based credit programs can reduce men's violence against women by making women's lives more public. The problem of men's violen ce against women is deeply rooted, however, and the authors argue that much more extensive interventions will be needed to significantly und ermine it. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd