In the feminist paradigm, intimate partner
violence (IPV) among heterosexual couples is gender
asymmetric and largely a tactic of male control. However,
research on the relationship between men’s controlling
behavior and physical violence against women is limited.
This study examines whether having a controlling partner
is associated with women’s reports of experiencing physical
violence in Malawi. Bivariate and multivariate analyses
were conducted using data from 8,385 women who
completed the domestic violence module of the Malawi
2004 Demographic and Health Survey. About 18 % of
women reported they had experienced moderately severe
physical violence and 1 % experienced very severe violence
in the past 12 months. A third of women reported
their partners had ever been controlling. Results from
multivariable ordinal logistic regression showed that
women who had controlling partners were significantly
more likely to report experiencing physical violence. Other
factors significantly associated with women’s experience of
physical violence included women who reported initiating
physical violence against their partners, women’s work
status, partners’ lower education level, and partners’ alcohol
consumption. Women with controlling partners were at
increased risk of experiencing physical violence in the past
year. However, women who reported initiating physical
violence in the past year were nearly four times more likely
to experience partner violence in the same time period.
Future research should attempt to elucidate these two
important risk factors for IPV.