Key Social Norms Take-aways This study underscores the powerful role of patriarchal community norms in shaping women’s attitudes toward intimate partner violence (IPV) in Bangladesh. Among all community-level factors, prevailing gender norms—specifically the level of acceptance of wife beating in the community—had the strongest influence on women’s own attitudes. The findings reveal that even women with higher socioeconomic status (SES) are more likely to justify IPV when they live in communities that collectively normalize such violence. These results emphasize that challenging social norms at the community level is essential to shifting individual attitudes and reducing tolerance for IPV.
Objectives The study aimed to examine how community-level social determinants of health—specifically poverty, illiteracy, and prevailing patriarchal norms—influence married women’s attitudinal acceptance of IPV in Bangladesh, beyond their individual socioeconomic and psychosocial characteristics.
Methods Using data from the 2011 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS), this cross-sectional, population-based study analyzed responses from 16,480 married women aged 15–49 across 600 communities. Multilevel logistic regression was applied to assess associations between women’s attitudes toward IPV and both individual- and community-level factors, guided by the Social Determinants of Health (SDH) framework.
Results At the individual level, higher education, household wealth, greater decision-making power, and media exposure were associated with reduced justification of IPV. Surprisingly, at the community level, higher levels of poverty and illiteracy were associated with lower acceptance of IPV—suggesting complex social dynamics where economic hardship may weaken traditional social controls. However, the most significant predictor of IPV justification was the community-level acceptance of wife beating. Women living in communities with more permissive norms toward IPV were significantly more likely to personally justify such violence, regardless of their own SES or empowerment.
Conclusions Interventions aiming to reduce IPV attitudes must target community-level gender norms, not just individual characteristics. Economic development and education alone may not shift attitudes unless paired with efforts to transform social norms that condone violence against women. Programs should prioritize norm change strategies within communities to effectively challenge the widespread tolerance of IPV and support long-term behavioral change.