Citation

Aizer A. Am. Econ. Rev. 2010; 100(4): 1847-1859.

Affiliation

Department of Economics, Brown University, 64 Waterman Street, Providence RI, 02912 and NBER ( aizer@brown.edu ).

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, American Economic Association)

DOI

10.1257/aer.100.4.1847

PMID

25110354

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.

Language: en