Female intimate partner violence in Zimbabwe: does empowerment matter?

Globally, studies on gender-based violence and domestic violence have advocated for female empowerment to counter violence. Zimbabwe is among countries that have called for female empowerment as a remedy; however, the widespread violence against females persists largely perpetrated by males. This study examines whether female empowerment is associated with increased or decreased levels of intimate partner violence (IPV) in Zimbabwe. A cross-sectional study using data obtained from the Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey (ZDHS) of 2015 was conducted. The population of interest are females in a union (4917) and not in a union (2306). The main independent variable is female empowerment measured by the following proxies: full participation in decision-making, educational level, ownership of assets, and employment status. The dependent variable is IPV in two forms: physical and sexual violence. A multivariate analysis using binary logistic regression was used to identify the association between measures of female empowerment and intimate partner violence among females in a union and not in a union. The females who are in a union and empowered were significantly more likely to experience physical and sexual violence (Odds ratio: 1.38 and 1.82) than those not empowered. Despite being empowered, the married and single females experienced intimate partner violence. Effective interventions should note that empowerment of females might be viewed as undermining the power of males over females, resulting in males resorting to violence. Hence, attention should be given to patriarchy, societal norms and values which promote a male dominant environment. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021.