IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/hhs/gunwpe/0809.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Gender Policy and Intimate Partner Violence in Colombia

Author

Listed:
  • Durevall, Dick

    (Department of Economics, School of Business, Economics and Law, Göteborg University)

Abstract

In 1995, Colombia signed the first legally binding international treaty that criminalizes all forms of violence against women. After this, the government took a number of steps to improve laws and policies, but progress was slow. This paper employs a differences-in differences approach and Demographic and Health Surveys from 2010 and 2015 to estimate the impact of a renewed effort to reduce intimate partner violence (IPV), based on recommendations by the UN. To identify the effect of the national policies, it uses the fact that while the central government passes laws and formulates policies, it partly relies on departments (provinces) to implement them. Of Colombia’s 33 departments, about a quarter had a gender policy in place by 2010. The main finding is that self-reported physical violence decreased from 20% to 16% between 2010 and 2015 in departments that had implemented IPV policies, while it stayed at 18% in the others.

Suggested Citation

  • Durevall, Dick, 2021. "Gender Policy and Intimate Partner Violence in Colombia," Working Papers in Economics 809, University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:gunwpe:0809
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://gupea.ub.gu.se/handle/2077/69160
    File Function: Full text
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Johannes Rieckmann, 2014. "Violent Conflicts Increase the Risk of Domestic Violence in Colombia," DIW Economic Bulletin, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research, vol. 4(12), pages 23-26.
    2. Giulia La Mattina & Olga N. Shemyakina, 2017. "Domestic Violence and Childhood Exposure to Armed Conflict: Attitudes and Experiences," HiCN Working Papers 255, Households in Conflict Network.
    3. Betsey Stevenson & Justin Wolfers, 2006. "Bargaining in the Shadow of the Law: Divorce Laws and Family Distress," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 121(1), pages 267-288.
    4. Durevall, Dick & Lindskog, Annika, 2013. "Intimate Partner Violence and HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa," Working Papers in Economics 563, University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics, revised 14 Jan 2014.
    5. Johanna Fajardo-Gonzalez, 2021. "Domestic violence, decision-making power, and female employment in Colombia," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 233-254, March.
    6. Juan D. Barón, 2010. "La violencia de pareja en Colombia y sus regiones," Documentos de trabajo sobre Economía Regional y Urbana 128, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    7. Johannes Haushofer & Charlotte Ringdal & Jeremy P. Shapiro & Xiao Yu Wang, 2019. "Income Changes and Intimate Partner Violence: Evidence from Unconditional Cash Transfers in Kenya," NBER Working Papers 25627, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. La Mattina, Giulia, 2017. "Civil conflict, domestic violence and intra-household bargaining in post-genocide Rwanda," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 168-198.
    9. Anderson, Siwan & Genicot, Garance, 2015. "Suicide and property rights in India," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 64-78.
    10. Trinidad Beleche, 2019. "Domestic violence laws and suicide in Mexico," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 229-248, March.
    11. Seema Vyas & Lori Heise, 2016. "How do area-level socioeconomic status and gender norms affect partner violence against women? Evidence from Tanzania," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 61(8), pages 971-980, November.
    12. Pablo Brassiolo, 2016. "Domestic Violence and Divorce Law: When Divorce Threats Become Credible," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 34(2), pages 443-477.
    13. Anke Hoeffler, 2018. "Security and development: Shifting the focus to interpersonal violence," Economics of Peace and Security Journal, EPS Publishing, vol. 13(1), pages 12-23, April.
    14. Kim, Jaehoon & Kim, Sangsin, 2015. "2012년 국회법 개정의 효과 연구 [A Study on the Effect of the 2012 National Assembly Act Amendment]," KDI Research Monographs, Korea Development Institute (KDI), volume 127, number v:2015-03(k):y:2015:p:1-1.
    15. Lauren Hoehn-Velasco & Jacob Penglase, 2021. "The Impact of No-Fault Unilateral Divorce Laws on Divorce Rates in Mexico," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 70(1), pages 203-236.
    16. Johanna Fajardo-Gonzalez, 0. "Domestic violence, decision-making power, and female employment in Colombia," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 0, pages 1-22.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. García-Ramos, Aixa, 2021. "Divorce laws and intimate partner violence: Evidence from Mexico," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    2. Astghik Mavisakalyan & Anu Rammohan, 2021. "Female autonomy in household decision-making and intimate partner violence: evidence from Pakistan," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 255-280, March.
    3. Gustavo J Bobonis & Roberto Castro & Juan S Morales, 2020. "Legal Reforms, Conditional Cash Transfers, and Intimate Partner Violence: Evidence from Mexico," Working Papers tecipa-678, University of Toronto, Department of Economics.
    4. Trinidad Beleche, 2019. "Domestic violence laws and suicide in Mexico," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 229-248, March.
    5. Shah,Manisha & Seager,Jennifer & Montalvao Machado,Joao H. C. & Goldstein,Markus P., 2022. "Two Sides of Gender : Sex, Power, and Adolescence," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10072, The World Bank.
    6. Teresa Molina & Mari Tanaka, 2023. "Globalization and Female Empowerment: Evidence from Myanmar," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 71(2), pages 519-565.
    7. Bhalotra, Sonia R. & Britto, Diogo & Pinotti, Paolo & Sampaio, Breno, 2021. "Job Displacement, Unemployment Benefits and Domestic Violence," IZA Discussion Papers 14543, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    8. Eleonora Guarnieri & Helmut Rainer, 2018. "Female Empowerment and Male Backlash," CESifo Working Paper Series 7009, CESifo.
    9. Corradini, Viola & Buccione, Giulia, 2023. "Unilateral divorce rights, domestic violence and women’s agency: Evidence from the Egyptian Khul reform," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    10. Hoehn-Velasco, Lauren & Silverio-Murillo, Adan, 2020. "Do spouses negotiate in the shadow of the law? Evidence from unilateral divorce, suicides, and homicides in Mexico," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    11. Marco Colagrossi & Claudio Deiana & Andrea Geraci & Ludovica Giua, 2022. "Hang up on stereotypes: Domestic violence and an anti‐abuse helpline campaign," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 40(4), pages 585-611, October.
    12. Jan Kabátek, 2018. "Divorced in a Flash: The Effect of the Administrative Divorce Option on Marital Stability in the Netherlands," Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series wp2018n12, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne.
    13. Díaz, Juan-José & Saldarriaga, Victor, 2023. "A drop of love? Rainfall shocks and spousal abuse: Evidence from rural Peru," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    14. Chigavazira, Abraham & Fisher, Hayley & Robinson, Tim & Zhu, Anna, 2019. "The Consequences of Extending Equitable Property Division Divorce Laws to Cohabitants," Working Papers 2019-02, University of Sydney, School of Economics.
    15. Auriol, Emmanuelle & Platteau, Jean-Philippe & Camilotti, Giula, 2017. "Eradicating Women-Hurting Customs: What Role for Social Engineering?," CEPR Discussion Papers 12107, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    16. Bruno Cardinale Lagomarsino & Martín Rossi, 2017. "JUE Insight: The Unintended Effect of Argentina’s Subsidized Homeownership Lottery Program on Intimate Partner Violence," Working Papers 129, Universidad de San Andres, Departamento de Economia, revised Nov 2023.
    17. Liyousew Gebremedhin Borga, 2023. "Family policy, intrahousehold bargaining, and child health," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(2), pages 663-684, May.
    18. Muhammad Qahraman Kakar, 2021. "Ethnic Disparities, Women Education and Empowerment in South Asia," Erudite Ph.D Dissertations, Erudite, number ph21-01 edited by Manon Domingues Dos Santos, December.
    19. Sonia Bhalotra & Uma Kambhampati & Samantha Rawlings & Zahra Siddique, 2021. "Intimate Partner Violence: The Influence of Job Opportunities for Men and Women," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 35(2), pages 461-479.
    20. Deschênes, Sarah & Dumas, Christelle & Lambert, Sylvie, 2020. "Household resources and individual strategies," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    gender policy; domestic violence; physical violence; sexual violence; unfaithfulness;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • K36 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Family and Personal Law

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:hhs:gunwpe:0809. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Ann-Christin Räätäri Nyström (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/naiguse.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.