Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Agency in a Nationally Representative Sample of Women and Girls in the Philippines

Abstract

This study examined the prevalence of intimate partner violence (Intimate Partner Violence) and its associations with sexual agency among women and adolescent girls in the Philippines. Data came from the 2017 Philippines National Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), a nationally representative, cross-sectional survey of women and girls ages 15–49. Participants included 11,727 women and girls who reported having a current male partner. Survey measures included three indicators of Intimate Partner Violence (physical, sexual, emotional), ability to refuse sex, ability to insist on condom use, perception that a husband/boyfriend can be justified in hitting or beating his wife/girlfriend, and sociodemographic characteristics. Descriptive and multivariable statistical analyses were conducted, with survey weightings used to account for the complex survey design. Overall, 23.9% reported Intimate Partner Violence in their current partnership (10.1% physical violence, 3.4% sexual violence, 19.0% emotional violence), 11.2% believed a husband or partner could be justified in hitting or beating their wife, 10.5% reported being unable to refuse sex with their partner, and 20.4% were unable to ask their partner to use a condom. In multivariable analyses, experiences of sexual (OR .68; 95% CI .50, .92), physical (OR .83; 95% CI .68, 1.02), and emotional violence (OR .69; 95% CI .58, .81) were associated with lower adjusted odds of being able to ask a partner to use a condom. When placed in the same model, emotional violence had the strongest association with lower odds of negotiating condom use with partner (OR .70; 95% CI .57, .85). Perception that a husband/boyfriend can be justified in hitting or beating his wife/girlfriend was associated with lower ability to refuse sex and ask a partner to use a condom. Findings indicate a need for further investment in interventions to prevent Intimate Partner Violence and support the sexual health and agency of women and girls who have experienced Intimate Partner Violence in the Philippines.

Determinants of consistent condom use among Filipino women: Results from the 2017 Philippine National Demographic and Health Survey

“…In another study involving Filipino women, low sexual agency, measured by her inability to ask a partner to use condoms during intercourse, was found to be associated with experiencing intimate partner violence. [36]. Since we nd that a woman's ability to ask a partner to use condoms during intercourse is very strongly associated with consistent condom use, there should be measures to strengthen sexual agency among Filipino women.…”

“…From the literature, known determinants of consistent condom use in the Philippines such as educational attainment, employment, HIV knowledge, and alcohol use will be forced into the resulting regression models [12,14]. In addition to this, we will also assess the effect of variables on consistent condom use: age, wealth index, marital status, HIV testing, tobacco use, intention and usage of traditional and other modern contraceptive methods, total children ever born, husband/partner's education level, whether it is justi able for a wife to ask husband to use condom if he has STI, agency (measured as whether the respondent can ask partner to use condom) [36], decision-maker for using contraception, reading about contraception in the internet, heard about family planning on radio, tv, newspaper/magazine, and text message, age of partner, HIV testing, and household size.…”

Men’s Involvement in Sexual and Reproductive Health Care and Decision Making in the Philippines: A Systematic Review of the Literature

“…A total of 15 studies related to men’s reproductive decision making in the Philippines were included. Five of the studies included multiple sites throughout the country ( Abada & Tenkorang, 2012 ; de Irala et al, 2009 ; Lee, 1999 ; Morisky et al, 2004 ; Yoshioka et al, 2020 ), and one disclosed only that the location was an urban area of the Philippines ( Hirz et al., 2017 ). A majority of the studies took place in large urban cities, including Manila ( de Irala et al, 2009 ; Guevara et al, 2010 ; Lucea et al, 2012 ; Mason & Smith, 2000 ), Cebu City ( Lee, 1999 ; Lucea et al, 2012 , 2013 ; Morisky et al, 2004 ), Lapu-Lapu ( Morisky et al, 2005 ), Mandaue City ( Morisky et al, 2005 ), Cagayan de Oro City ( Lee, 1999 ; Morisky et al, 2004 ), Davao ( de Irala et al, 2009 ; Lee, 1999 ), and Iloilo ( Lee, 1999 ).…”

“…In one study, women with less autonomy were less likely to share their partner’s fertility preference ( Mason & Smith, 2000 ). Another study reported a significant association between IPV and women’s inability to negotiate contraception use with their partners ( Yoshioka et al, 2020 ). Women’s lack of power to negotiate with men who held decision-making dominance in sexual relationships was directly associated with IPV toward young women which contributed to their risk for unwanted pregnancy or HIV ( Lucea et al, 2012 ; Yoshioka et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Another study reported a significant association between IPV and women’s inability to negotiate contraception use with their partners ( Yoshioka et al, 2020 ). Women’s lack of power to negotiate with men who held decision-making dominance in sexual relationships was directly associated with IPV toward young women which contributed to their risk for unwanted pregnancy or HIV ( Lucea et al, 2012 ; Yoshioka et al, 2020 ). Eighty-one percent of respondents in a study within the Cebu province reported having experiencing some amount of unwanted sexual pressure, physical violence, or psychological abuse, and almost two thirds of participants reported at least one act of pressured or unwanted sex ( Lucea et al, 2012 ).…”