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The Role of Formal Schooling, Literacy, and Health Knowledge in Addressing Domestic Violence Against Women in West Africa

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  • Amelia Van Komen

    (Department of Sociology, School of Family, Home and Social Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA)

  • Hayley Pierce

    (Department of Sociology, School of Family, Home and Social Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA)

Abstract

When “education” is cited as a solution for domestic violence, different aspects of knowledge acquisition are often omitted. This study uses 2019 Demographic and Health Surveys from four West African countries (The Gambia, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone) with a combined sample size of 12,480 women and generalized ordered logit regression to examine the effects of types of knowledge (years of schooling, literacy, and health knowledge) on domestic violence (physical abuse, emotional abuse, and control issues). The results suggest that literacy has the most reliable beneficial impact on domestic violence and was consistently associated with decreased odds of abuse. However, greater findings suggest that schooling, literacy, and health knowledge function as separate types of education and that their relationships are complex and context-specific. By neglecting to see these types of knowledge as separate entities that can operate together, it is possible that mitigation strategies for domestic violence are going undiscovered.

Suggested Citation

  • Amelia Van Komen & Hayley Pierce, 2024. "The Role of Formal Schooling, Literacy, and Health Knowledge in Addressing Domestic Violence Against Women in West Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(11), pages 1-13, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:21:y:2024:i:11:p:1492-:d:1517643
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ackerson, L.K. & Kawachi, I. & Barbeau, E.M. & Subramanian, S.V., 2008. "Effects of individual and proximate educational context on intimate partner violence: A population-based study of women in India," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 98(3), pages 507-514.
    2. Saikou Amadou Diallo & Marcel Voia, 2016. "The Threat of Domestic Violence and Women Empowerment: The Case of West Africa," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 28(1), pages 92-103, March.
    3. Bilge Erten & Pinar Keskin, 2018. "For Better or for Worse?: Education and the Prevalence of Domestic Violence in Turkey," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 10(1), pages 64-105, January.
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