Gender discrimination : violence, gaps & quotas

Abstract

This thesis is composed of four independent essays in applied microeconomics. The first and second chapters contribute to the field of crime economics, with a focus on domestic violence. The third chapter speaks to the gender gap and time use literature. The final chapter explores the fields of gender and political economics, investigating the effect of gender representation within local governments on expenditure in social services. All four chapters share my interest in gender discrimination from different perspectives. In the first chapter, “Overstretched: Financial Distress and Intimate Partner Violence in the U.S.”, co-authored with Chiara Santantonio, we examine the impact of financial distress on intimate partner violence (IPV). We combine bank closing days and fixed payment schedules to identify months when households stretch finances due to changes in their payment routine. Using the U.S. National Crime Victimization Survey, we find that financial distress significantly increases the probability of IPV. We also document worsened financial conditions through changes in consumption behavior and time use. The second chapter, “Don’t Stick a Spoon in Marital Disputes? Sentencing Severity and Domestic Violence”, co-authored with Rui Costa, Beatriz Ribeiro, and Matteo Sandi, estimates the impact of sentencing severity on domestic violence dynamics in Brazil. Using administrative data and police records from Rio Grande do Sul, we leverage the 2015 Lei do Feminicidio law. We find that increased sentencing severity reduces domestic violence incidence but makes victims more reluctant to press charges while increasing requests for protective measures. In the third chapter, “Gender Difference in Off-School Time Use and Academic Achievement”, I analyze how off-school time use shapes children’s academic achievement using unique data on Turkish children aged 8-12. After establishing significant gender differences in off-school time allocation, with girls spending more time on chores and study and less on play, I estimate an education production function with time-use variables as inputs. An extra hour spent on house chores or play is associated with a significant reduction in both math and verbal test scores. I also document a gender math gap favoring boys, likely due to different use of time and different returns to playtime across genders. The fourth chapter, “Gender Quotas and Municipal Spending: The Impact of Female Municipal Executives in Italy”, co-authored with Flavia Cavallini and Alice Dominici, investigates the effect of increasing female representation in local government executive positions on municipal expenses and public social services. Leveraging a 2014 reform in Italy that mandated 40% gender quotas in the executive councils of municipalities with more than 3000 inhabitants, we employ a difference-in-discontinuities approach. The policy increases female representation, decreases current expenses per resident, and shifts expenditure towards school services, showing women’s influence on resource allocation.