Telangana Women Face The Highest Marital Violence in South India
Hyderabad: According to the sixth edition of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6), 2023-24, almost one in three married women in Telangana experience violence from their spouses. Although the state has seen a shift in women’s digital literacy, mobile device ownership and financial independence over the past five years, the prevalence of domestic violence remains a persistent problem.
The latest survey shows the gap between women’s upward social mobility and their security at home. Telangana recorded the highest number of intimate partner violence cases among southern states at 30.8%, followed by Tamil Nadu at 28.5% and Andhra Pradesh at 22.7%. Although this total figure represents a decrease from the 37.2% recorded in NFHS-5 (2019-21), the frequency of abuse remains significantly above the national average of 22.3%.
Violence is more prevalent, especially in rural Telangana; While 33.0% of ever-married women here report being subjected to physical and sexual violence by their husbands, this rate is 24.8% for women in urban areas.
On a more positive note, Telangana is leading in bridging the digital gender gap as the number of women using the internet has more than doubled in the state. The figures increased from 26.5% in NFHS-5 to 64.8% in 2023-24. 80.3% of women have used the internet in city centers, 65.8% of women now use their own mobile phones and digital compliance is higher.
The data also shows that Telangana women are actively taking control over their finances and education. The proportion of women who have and use their own bank or savings account increased to 92.3% from 84.4% in the previous survey. More than half of women had worked in the last 12 months and received cash payments, 53.2%; this rate was 45.1% five years ago.
In terms of education, the proportion of women with 10 or more years of education increased from 45.5% to 51.1%. Empowerment metrics also show that 89.9% of currently married women are involved in major household decisions, such as their own healthcare and major purchases.
Despite these advantages, other social research shows room for improvement. While child marriage rates were falling, 17.9% of women aged 20-24 were still married before they turned 18. Physical violence during pregnancy also remains a significant problem, affecting 2.7% of ever-married women in the state.
The survey also highlighted unique health trends in the state, such as the high rate of caesarean section, which accounts for 62.2% of all births in Telangana, making the caesarean section rate at 83.9% in private healthcare facilities one of the highest in the country.
NFHS-6 findings reveal a stark contrast in Telangana. Gains in digital and financial empowerment coexist with high marital violence. Although the decrease compared to the previous survey (37.2%) is positive, these figures highlight that socio-economic progress has not eliminated deep-rooted patterns of domestic violence.
(This article was written by EFLU student Archana Prasad, who is interning at Deccan Chronicle)
