Understanding Trends in Spousal Violence in India

Spousal violence is often seen as individual and isolated and considered a private matter not worthy of public condemnation.1 It is, however, an expression of larger systemic and structural issues. Following neoliberal economic reforms in India, a narrative has been promoted that such reforms would lead to women’s empowerment by relaxing the hold of cultural norms and creating economic opportunities that include women in the global workforce, which would then free them from violence (Krishnan 2018). However, global economic conditions can contribute to violence against women through the intertwining of private life with public spaces such as the workplace, and of patriarchy with the material conditions of daily life (Weissman 2007).