Adhikary and Dutta

Table-5 shows that majority of respondents are reported to have the experience

of domestic violence. Among the surveyed women 61% are home maker. Only

25.6% are politically empowered. Respondents to the extent of 66.4% belong

to nuclear family. Husbands of a large number of sample women are farmer or

agricultural labour, only 12.8% are self-employed. The major portion of sample

women belong to scheduled castes.

Table 5. Descriptions of the Selected Categorical Variables

Variables

Number

Percentage

Experience with Domestic Violence during last six months

68

54.4

Occupation (Home maker)

76

60.8

Political Empowerment

32

25.6

Nuclear Family

83

66.4

Husband Occupation (Farming)

41

32.8

Husband Occupation (Wage Labour)

68

54.4

Husband Occupation (Self employed)

16

12.8

Caste ( General Caste)

15

12.0

Caste ( OBC)

12

9.6

Caste ( Scheduled Castes)

65

52.0

Caste ( Scheduled Tribes)

33

26.4

Source: Authors’ computation based on primary data, 2010

The findings of the estimated probit model have been depicted in Table 6. We

have shown the marginal change in probabilities of having experience of domestic

violence with reference to the probit model in Table 7. We find that the coefficient

of economic empowerment of women is -0.008, which is statistically significant.

It indicates that other things remaining the same, the economic empowerment of

women reduce the probability of domestic violence against them. The coefficient

of the age in the probit model confirms that with increase in age women gain

strong foothold to fight against domestic violence. The estimation of marginal

probability also speaks in favour of this result. We have found that education

and occupation of women are immaterial in determination of domestic violence

against women in rural areas. It may happen due to the fact that the women in rural

area are less educated and working women are engaged in agricultural activity and

earn subsistence wage.

The coefficient of the duration of SHG membership is positive and statistically

significant. The duration of SHG membership has been found empirically to

stimulate the probability of suffering from domestic violence. The marginal

probability of domestic violence increases due to increase of the duration of SHG

membership in the area under study. The coefficient of the political empowerment

of women, which is negative and significant, indicates to lower the likelihood of

438