Heat Exposure and Gender Attitudes: Evidence from India

Sammanfattning

Can rising temperature reinforce masculine attitudes within households? This study examines the impact of prolonged heat exposure on men's normative attitudes using a life-course design in India. Increasing occurrence of heat waves, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius across several districts, pose serious physiological as well as psychological risks. Using National Family Health Survey-4 (NFHS-4) combined with district-level weather data, the study finds that heat exposure measured as degree days above 32 degrees Celsius is most strongly associated with men's endorsement of attitude on restricting spousal autonomy. Weaker but positive associations of heat exist with men's attitudes on justifying intimate partner violence (IPV), and asserting unilateral authority over household purchase decisions. Effects are concentrated among men in their middle adulthood years and is amplified when wives are economically dependent on husbands, suggesting women's weaker fallback position shapes household environment during heat stress.