What Determines Tolerance of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women? Evidence from Pakistan

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has multiple emotional and psychological effects. Globally, one in three women have experienced IPV in their lifetime. Pakistan ranks 142 in the list of 146 countries on the global gender gap index. By using data from more than 15,000 households from the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey from 2018, this article aims to explore the factors affecting the tolerance of violence against women in Pakistan. While there is existing research focusing on the factors linked to IPV, there is nonexistent literature quantifying the tolerance of IPV against women. Results suggest that the two most significant factors linked to tolerance of IPV are (i) the level of education of a woman and (ii) the male partner’s employment status. An educated woman was 29.5% less likely to tolerate IPV, whereas the employment of a husband was linked with a 16.5% reduction in the likelihood of tolerating IPV. Moreover, the social networking phenomenon is also correlated with the reduction in the probability of tolerating IPV.