Domestic Violence and Time Use in Rural Bangladesh

Sajeda Amin, Population Council
Luciana Suran, Population Council

Absence of domestic violence is a striking measure of marital welfare. However, other indicators of well-being, such as time use patterns, may be additional ways to measure the more subtle and complex realities of married life. Through analysis of time use patterns this paper explores whether leisure and other self-indulgent activities are associated with violence. Leisure time has recently been proposed as an important and distinct category by which women’s well-being can be measured (Basu and Koolwal, 2004). Using longitudinal panel data from an adolescent study in rural Bangladesh, this paper will examine the association between time use patterns and domestic violence during the early years of marriage. The sample represents a population of adolescent girls residing in districts characterized by very early patterns of marriage and childbearing.