The Gender Wage Gap and Domestic Violence
- (pp. 1847-59)
Abstract
Three quarters of all violence against women is perpetrated by domestic partners. This study exploits exogenous changes in the demand for labor in female-dominated industries to estimate the impact of the male-female wage gap on domestic violence. Decreases in the wage gap reduce violence against women, consistent with a household bargaining model. These findings shed new light on the health production process as well as observed income gradients in health and suggest that in addition to addressing concerns of equity and efficiency, pay parity can also improve the health of American women via reductions in violence. (JEL D13, I12, J16, J23, J31)Citation
Aizer, Anna. 2010. "The Gender Wage Gap and Domestic Violence." American Economic Review, 100 (4): 1847-59. DOI: 10.1257/aer.100.4.1847Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- D13 Household Production and Intrahousehold Allocation
- I12 Health Production
- J16 Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
- J23 Labor Demand
- J31 Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials