THE IMPACT OF MOTHER’S VIOLENCE RATIONALIZATION ON THE SCHOOLING OF HER CHILDREN: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY

Abstract

This study explores whether a mother’s rationalization of intimate partner violence against wives is associated with the school entry of her children. The study uses the Nepal Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey with the sample comprised of 4,012 children within the school-studying age born to young mothers aged 19-35. It employs the bivariate probit model with an instrumental variable (IV) to analyze data. The IV reflects the attitudes toward IPV of older women residing in the same neighborhood. The results indicate that children born to mothers justifying abuse by husbands are 8.7 percentage points more likely to enter primary school late, which is 20% higher than the average level of late entrants. The probability of late entry goes up by 10.8 percentage points when examining only girls corresponding to 25% rise from the mean value. There is no statistically significant impact on schooling outcome of sons. The evidence that only the schooling of daughters is affected implies the presence of gender-based maltreatment related to cultural norms, which requires more integrated research involving those risk factors.