Abstract:

This study analyzes the effect of intimate partner violence on female autonomy, defined as the decision-making capability of a woman who is married or cohabiting with a partner, by using Turkish micro-level data sets on domestic violence against women. The study employs the instrumental variable methodology to estimate the causal impact of the occurrence and level of intimate partner violence on female decision-making autonomy. The estimation shows that experiencing intimate partner violence in the last twelve months diminishes the female decision-making autonomy significantly. A further estimation is implemented to find out whether the source of autonomy reduction is employment loss caused by partner violence, which can discourage women from work. IV estimations show that intimate partner violence, instead, pushes women towards work for the sample, which is not restricted to married women. This may indicate that participation in employment is not sufficient alone to ensure freedom in households and should be accompanied by legislative and institutional measures targeting direct prevention of intimate partner violence.

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