The effect of rainfall extremes on physical intimate partner violence among recently married women in Bangladesh

Maya Luetke , University of Minnesota
Lisa Bates, Columbia University
Theresa Osypuk, University of Minnesota

Extreme weather events – such as excessive rainfall and drought – are increasing in frequency and severity, impacting human health and mortality. Stress caused by extreme events may contribute to increased likelihood of intimate partner violence (IPV) among affected households. Extreme events also disrupt social safety nets and access to support, possibly precluding people from escaping violence and seeking help. Using data from a prospective cohort study, we assess the impact of exposure to rainfall extremes on women’s experience of IPV among a sample of married women in rural Bangladesh in 2014. We aggregate rainfall data from the Climate Hazards Center InfraRed Precipitation with Stations (CHIRPS) data to the upazila-level (administrative unit 3), create z-scores, and link these upazila-specific z-scores to IPV outcomes in our sample. Lastly, we use multilevel regression models to examine the impact of extreme rainfall on the IPV experiences of women in this sample.

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 Presented in Session P123. Climate Stress, Gender Inequalities and Family Wellbeing