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Gender Based Violence And Psychological Wellbeing On Women Empowerment, Among Women In Kira Municipality, Wakiso District

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between gender-based violence (GBV) and women’s empowerment,
and their collective impact on psychological wellbeing among women in Kira Municipality, Wakiso District, Uganda. The study
adopted a cross-sectional survey design with a quantitative approach, targeting 131,190 women-headed households in the
municipality. Data were collected and analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis. The results
indicated significant relationships between variables, particularly between women’s empowerment and intimate partner violence
(IPV), with women’s empowerment having a negative correlation with both IPV and psychological wellbeing. The regression
analysis revealed that both women’s empowerment and IPV had substantial negative impacts on psychological wellbeing, with
women’s empowerment being the stronger predictor. The findings suggest that empowerment initiatives may unintentionally
increase instances of GBV and reduce psychological wellbeing, as empowerment is often viewed as a threat to traditional gender
roles, leading to resistance from men. This result contradicted the study’s hypotheses and theoretical framework, which predicted
that women’s empowerment would reduce GBV and enhance psychological wellbeing. The study concluded that while women’s
empowerment is intended to enhance women’s autonomy, it has been associated with increased GBV and decreased
psychological wellbeing. Empowerment initiatives should be revisited to consider the social and cultural dynamics in Uganda that
may not fully support the empowerment of women, particularly in the context of family and gender roles. The study recommends
that women’s empowerment programs in Uganda should be designed to consider the psychological wellbeing of women. Families
should foster environments where empowerment contributes positively to family stability. It is also essential to focus on reducing
GBV rather than solely emphasizing psychological wellbeing. Efforts to reduce GBV should be integrated into empowerment
programs, encouraging women to maintain positive traditional roles that support family and relationship stability, while still
benefiting from their economic independence and autonomy.
Keywords: Gender-based violence, women empowerment, psychological wellbeing, intimate partner violence, Uganda,
Kira Municipality, women-headed households, empowerment programs.

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