Women’s Economic Empowerment and Intimate-Partner Violence among Young Women in Nyatike Sub-County, Migori County – Kenya

This study investigated the effect of Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) interventions on Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) among young women aged 20–35 years in Nyatike Sub-County, Migori County, Kenya. Grounded in the Marxist-Feminist theory, the research applied a qualitative-dominant mixed-methods design integrating a structured survey (n = 139) with in-depth interviews (n = 25), and 5 key informant interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques with the help of SPSS v26, while qualitative data were coded thematically using NVivo. From the findings, the pairwise correlation (r = –0.09) showed a weak negative relationship between empowerment and IPV, implying that economic empowerment slightly reduces IPV but is mediated by relational and sociocultural factors. Qualitative findings revealed that 73% of women reported reduced IPV after empowerment, while 7 % experienced an escalation linked to partner backlash. The study concludes that while WEE enhances financial independence, voice, and household respect, it is insufficient to eliminate IPV without gender-transformative components. Programs should integrate spousal engagement, GBV and mental health counseling, and community gender-norm dialogues. Policies should extend protection to cohabiting and separated women, strengthen educational and livelihood pathways, and embed gender-sensitivity in empowerment models. These strategies will better align economic empowerment with sustainable reductions in IPV and promote equitable development outcomes for rural women in in the study area and beyond. Key Words: Women’s Economic Empowerment, Intimate-Partner, Violence, Women