The Effects of Husband’s Alcohol Consumption on Sexual Violence within Marriage and Sexual Health: Experience of Female Migrants in Slums of Mumbai

Soumya Mohanty, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
Ram B. Bhagat, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

The nexus between alcohol consumption and its associated effect on poor sexual decision making, unsafe sex, multiple partners, and increased sexual experimentation has been extensively established through empirical study relying on survey data. Several works have linked alcohol consumption with menacing behaviors including sexual assault through use of aggression and coercion which also impairs women's ability to perceive threats and resist attacks including sexual violence within marriage. However, research on factors associated with married women’s ability to manage sexual relations with a spouse is limited. This paper analyzes factors affecting married female migrants’ ability to influence their sexual communication with a spouse and sexual experience within marriage. It also examines the extent to which alcohol consumption by a husband leads to sexual violence and affects their sexual health. The paper is based on quantitative data collected from 513 female migrants and few in-depth interviews conducted in eight densely populated slums of Mumbai, India.