Exploring the role of economic empowerment and husband’s controlling behavior in spousal abuse: an analysis of Filipino women’s household dynamics
Date
2025-05-23
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
This paper examined the association between the Women Economic Empowerment Index (WEEI) and the incidence of abuse among Filipino women, with a particular focus on married women. Findings display the protective role of women’s economic empowerment in reducing the likelihood of spousal abuse, especially when moderating husband characteristics (drinking alcohol and controlling behavior). Descriptive statistics revealed substantial disparities in the levels of economic empowerment and abuse risk across different marital statuses. It underscored how marital transitions reduce socioeconomic security and expose women to vulnerability. Remarkably, while physical and sexual abuse were widespread experiences, emotional abuse emerged as the most prevalent form, affecting women's mental health regardless of their marital status, indicating that no status is fully shielded from the risk of violence. Employing the logistic regression model through the baseline and extended model, the study confirms that husband characteristics are positively associated with spousal abuse, but increasing economic empowerment of women significantly decrease the risk of spousal abuse, affirming the importance of economic empowerment as a strategy in mitigating violence within the household and promoting women’s safety.
Description
Keywords
NDHS 2022, Women Economic Empowerment Index, Physical, sexual, emotional violence, Spousal Abuse, Controlling Behavior