Evidence from Mexico on social status and violence against women

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of relative social status on violence against women in Mexico using state-level panel data. Relatively higher female social status, measured by educational, economic and political standings, is associated with lower homicide rates for women and lower intimate partner violence rates. More importantly, different status variables affect violence against women through different channels, depending on the victim–offender relationship. The results are robust to different specifications and different control variables. This study may provide helpful guidelines to policy-makers attempting to identify more effective means for deterring violence against women.

Keywords:

• social status
• homicide against women
• intimate partner violence
• female crime victimization
• Mexico

JEL Classification:

• O54
• K42
• J16

Acknowledgements

Helpful comments and suggestions were provided by Adam Walke and anonymous referees. Econometric research assistance was provided by Alex Ceballos, Juan Cardenas and Alan Jimenez.

Notes

¹ Chon (forthcoming) has argued that the important link between women’s relative social status and female homicide victimization rates may disappear once several important control variables are included in the regressions, using a cross-national study.

² Due to ENDIREH 2006 survey’s limitation, the IPV data of Campeche, Chihuahua, Hidalgo, Michoacan, Morelos and Oaxaca are not available for the analysis presented in Section VII.

³ The robustness test with the lagged dependent variable cannot be performed on IPV because the IPV data are interpolated between 2006 and 2011.

Additional information

Funding

Financial support for this research was provided by El Paso Water Utilities, Hunt Communities, City of El Paso Office of Management & Budget, a UTEP College of Business Administration Faculty Research Grant, UTEP Center for the Study of Western Hemispheric Trade, UTEP University Research Institute and UTEP Hunt Institute for Global Competitiveness.