Utbildningens betydelse för våld i nära relationer. En litteraturbaserad studie om associationen mellan kvinnors utbildningsnivå och våld i nära relationer i låg- och medelinkomstländer.
Våld i nära relationerUtbildningKvinnorAssociationLåg- och medelinkomstländerIntimate partner violenceEducationWomenAssociationLow- and middle-income countries
Introduction: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a great public health issue that can cause serious physical, psychological and psychosomatic injuries to the woman. Education is one out of many important protective factors against IPV. Aim: This study aimed to investigate the association between women?s educational level and IPV in low- and middle-income countries, the interaction between the education of the woman and the man and IPV, how education on different levels (individual-, family- and community-level) influences IPV and how gender is connected to education and IPV. Method: A literature-based study with 12 selected scientific articles as the foundation for the analysis was performed. Results: All 12 articles presented a negative association between women?s educational level and IPV but not all of them showed a linear association. Some studies showed a positive correlation for certain types of violence or educational levels. Women with lower or higher education than their partner were more likely to be subject to IPV than if they had the same educational level. Illiterate women were more likely to justify male dominance and superiority than literate women. Women who lived in communities with high literacy levels had greater benefits of education than women who lived in areas with low literacy levels. Discussion/conclusion: Women?s education is an important protective factor against intimate partner violence in low- and middle-income countries. When the educational level increases, women?s empowerment and autonomy increases which can lead to changed gender attitudes. If the woman however gets higher educational level than her husband the risk of IPV can increase because she challenges the current gender system. Structural factors, like the community?s educational level, influence the size of the protective effect against IPV that the individual woman?s education gets.