Socioeconomic Gradient in the Incidence, Frequency, and Severity of Intimate Partner Violence: Evidence from Latin America

The World Health Organization estimates that 1 in 3 women have experienced partner abuse in their lifetime. While there is some evidence that antipoverty programs have contributed towards reducing intimate partner violence (IPV), there is little consensus regarding the direction of the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and IPV incidence. Using Demographic and Health Survey data from seven Latin American countries, I find a steep socioeconomic gradient in the prevalence of IPV. Relative to the poorest group, only women in the highest two SES quintiles are significantly less likely to suffer incidences of partner abuse, by 3.2 and 8.2 percentage points, respectively. The results contribute evidence to the literature suggesting that there is a high threshold of resources needed to lessen IPV. This paper also expands the literature by finding novel evidence that the relationship between IPV and SES varies with the intensity of violence, with resources being significantly associated with a decrease in severe acts of physical violence at all levels of SES. An extensive empirical analysis on the mechanisms suggests that wealthier women are more likely to delay critical life-altering events like marriage and childbearing, have increased access to a wider variety of resources, and enjoy more financial security, which in turn, reduce the incidence and intensity of IPV. These findings have important implications for measuring the cost-effectiveness of antipoverty programs in reducing IPV in low- and middle-income countries.

Working Paper