A drop of love? Rainfall shocks and spousal abuse: Evidence from rural Peru

B-Tier
Journal: Journal of Health Economics
Year: 2023
Volume: 89
Issue: C

Authors (2)

Score contribution per author:

1.009 = (α=2.02 / 2 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We investigate whether exposure to rainfall shocks affects the experience of physical intimate partner violence (P-IPV) among women in rural areas of the Peruvian Andes. Using data from the Demographic and Health Surveys over 2005–2014, we track changes in the probability that a woman experiences recent instances of P-IPV after being exposed to a rainfall shock during the last cropping season. Our results indicate that the probability that a woman experiences P-IPV increases by 8.5 percentage points (65 percent) after exposure to a dry, but not a wet, shock during the cropping season. We identify two complementary causal pathways of this effect: increased economic insecurity and poverty-related stress that deteriorates men’s emotional well-being and mental health, and reduced female empowerment that affects women’s ability to negotiate their preferences within the relationship.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:jhecon:v:89:y:2023:i:c:s0167629623000164
Journal Field
Health
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-25