At a time when the suspected dowry death of actor-model Twisha Sharma has sparked widespread concern, the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6) 2023-24, released on Friday, shows a decline in spousal violence in Punjab.
According to the survey, the prevalence of spousal violence among married women aged 18-49 years declined from 11.6 per cent in NFHS-5 (2019-21) to 8.7 per cent in NFHS-6, a drop of 2.9 percentage points. This means that nearly nine out of every 100 married women in the state reported experiencing spousal violence.
However, violence during pregnancy registered a marginal increase of 0.2 percentage points in Punjab.
At the national level, the prevalence of domestic violence declined from 29.2 per cent to 22.3 per cent, while the incidence of child marriage fell from 23.3 per cent to 20.1 per cent.
Among the states reporting the highest prevalence of spousal violence were Bihar (36.1 per cent), Telangana (30.8 per cent), Tamil Nadu (28.5 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (28.5 per cent), Jharkhand (27 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (21.4 per cent) and Rajasthan (20.8 per cent).
Delhi recorded a significant improvement, with spousal violence declining from 22.5 per cent in NFHS-5 to 12.3 per cent in NFHS-6.
Chandigarh also reported a decline, from 9.7 per cent to 8.5 per cent, while the prevalence of violence during pregnancy stood at 3 per cent.
The survey further highlighted a sharp increase in internet usage among women in Punjab. The proportion of women with internet access rose from 54.8 per cent in NFHS-5 to 74.5 per cent in NFHS-6.
The rate of childbirth through caesarean section also increased, rising from 38.5 per cent to 46.6 per cent. Caesarean deliveries were slightly higher among rural women (47.1 per cent) than urban women (45.8 per cent).
The proportion of underweight children below the age of five increased to 23.7 per cent from 16.9 per cent in the previous survey.
Obesity levels rose among both men and women. Among men, the prevalence increased from 32.3 per cent in NFHS-5 to 37.5 per cent in NFHS-6, while among women it rose from 40.8 per cent to 44.7 per cent.
The survey also indicated a rise in high blood sugar levels among women aged 15-49 years. The prevalence increased from 14.7 per cent in NFHS-5 to 21.3 per cent in NFHS-6, suggesting that more than one in five women in this age group now have elevated blood sugar levels.
Nationally, women’s participation in the workforce improved, rising from 25.4 per cent to 30.8 per cent. Internet usage among women also increased significantly, reaching 64.3 per cent.
The survey further recorded an increase in women’s ownership of property. Around 18.8 per cent of households reported women owning a house or land, compared with 14 per cent in the previous survey. The figure stood at 18.2 per cent in urban areas and 19.1 per cent in rural areas.
