Gender Norms, Tolerance for Domestic Violence, and Fertility in Uzbekistan

Tricia S. Ryan, University of Texas at Austin
Maryann Bylander, University of Texas at Austin

Numerous previous studies have demonstrated links between gender attitudes, fertility, and domestic violence. Egalitarian gender norms are hypothesized to decrease fertility, while domestic violence is associated with increased fertility. Patriarchal gender ideologies are also associated in numerous contexts with increased risk for domestic violence. The existence and direction of the relationship between domestic violence and fertility remains unclear, and the role of gender attitudes in determining fertility has often been assessed using measures that may not fully capture gender norms. Using data from the 2002 Uzbekistan Health Examination Survey, we use factor analysis and ordinary least squares regression to identify discrete dimensions of gender attitudes, construct variables from these factors, and assess the role that gender attitudes, including attitudes toward domestic violence, have on married women’s fertility. We find that as tolerance for domestic violence increases, so does parity, though other dimensions of gender norms have limited effects on fertility.