YOUNG WOMEN and PATRILOCAL RESIDENCE in SRI LANKA: A DIFFERENT DYNAMIC ? Deborah S. DeGraff and K.A.P. Siddhisena

K.A.P. Siddhisena , Professor Emeritus, Dept. of Demography, University of Colombo

Does patrilocal residence decrease young, married women’s autonomy in South Asia? A recent study using DHS data from four South Asian countries — Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan — provides strong evidence supporting this hypothesis (Khalil and Mookerjee 2019). We explore this question using DHS data for Sri Lanka, a country characterized by less gender inequality in several respects, and a lower incidence of patrilocal residence, than elsewhere in the region. In this context, is any negative influence of patrilocal residence on women’s autonomy weakened? Conversely, does patrilocality in Sri Lanka result in stronger negative effects, because it is indicative of greater conservatism vis-à-vis gender dynamics among those who follow this practice? If so, does higher education — a characteristic often associated with more egalitarian gender norms — lessen such negative effects? To address these questions, we use bivariate and multivariate statistical methods to explore the relationship between measures of women’s autonomy and patrilocal residence, for married women ages 15 to 34 (n=7473). We examine two categories of autonomy measures: having a say in decisions and experiencing violence from husbands. The first category includes: use of husband’s earnings, daily expenditures, major purchases, respondent’s health care, and family visits. The second category includes: abuse 1 (slapping, hitting, shoving), abuse 2 (beating with implement, dragging, burning, strangling), and forced sex. Preliminary results suggest harmful effects of patrilocal residence on young women in Sri Lanka, but effects that are weaker than in other South Asian countries and, perhaps, are mitigated by higher education

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 Presented in Session P1. Postercafe