An Intersectional Analysis of Domestic Violence in India

This Paper examines the ongoing incidence and prevalence of domestic violence in India by addressing the intersections of oppression that contribute to its perpetuation. India startles us with statistics of 5,000 cases of estimated dowry deaths that occur annually, 10,000 reported cases of female infanticide annually (not including forced abortions, and 45% married men reporting abusing their wives. In order to sociologically address the situation of women in India, this paper takes into consideration that domestic violence in India is not just an issue of gender or of class inequalities, but a complex system of oppressions that work together to enable each-other. It also suggests that violence against women must therefore be combated not from just one level, but across these multiple structural dimensions.