Kenyan Women Bearing the Cost of Climate Change

Climate change-induced crises can aggravate intimate partner violence (IPV); the loss of income when weather affects the agricultural industry can exacerbate violence at home. In Kenya, climate change has increased precipitation during the rainy season and raised temperatures during the dry season,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2021-12, Vol.18 (23), p.12697
Main Authors: Allen, Elizabeth M, Munala, Leso, Henderson, Julie R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aggression
Agricultural economics
Agricultural research
Agriculture
Climate Change
Confidence intervals
Cross-Sectional Studies
Domestic violence
Drought
Dry season
Female
Floods
Households
Humans
Income
Intimate Partner Violence
Kenya
Prevalence
Public health
Rainfall
Rainy season
Risk Factors
Sexual Partners
Violence
Violence against women
Weather
Women
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Summary:Climate change-induced crises can aggravate intimate partner violence (IPV); the loss of income when weather affects the agricultural industry can exacerbate violence at home. In Kenya, climate change has increased precipitation during the rainy season and raised temperatures during the dry season, resulting in floods and droughts. For 75% of Kenyans, agricultural activities are their primary source of income. This research aims to assess patterns in IPV and severe weather events (SWE). We examined Integrated Public Use Microdata Series-Demographic Health Survey (IPUMS-DHS) data from 2008 and 2014 for IPV severity and frequency. We used Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) data along with GPS coordinates to identify SWEs (defined as any flood >10 days) by county in Kenya. Overall, women were more likely to experience IPV if their spouse worked in agriculture (Odds Ratio (OR) = 1.22, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.10-1.36). There was a 60% increase in the odds of reporting IPV in counties that experienced an SWE as compared to counties that did not experience an SWE (OR = 1.60, 95% CI: 1.35-1.89). This analysis further supports the growing body of research that suggests a relationship between climate change-related weather events and violence against women.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph182312697