Document Type

Article

Source of Publication

Feminist Economics

Publication Date

9-7-2026

Abstract

This article evaluates the causal impact of average neighborhood attitudes justifying intimate partner violence (IPV) on own attitudes using nationally representative data from the fifth wave of the National Family Health Survey of India. The study utilizes exogenous variation in average exposure of neighborhood women to their parental IPV in a leave-one-out instrumental variable strategy to address endogeneity concerns in estimating peer influences. The study finds robust evidence that a 1 standard deviation increase in a woman’s average neighborhood attitudes justifying IPV leads to a 0.36 standard deviation increase in her attitudes justifying the same. The article establishes the importance of peer influences on a woman’s acceptance of IPV as justifiable, especially among the less educated, having no assets and bearing more daughters than sons, making them more impressionable. This underscores the need for enhanced implementation of policies targeting women’s empowerment to arrest the perpetration of gender-biased social norms. HIGHLIGHTS Social networks play a significant role in shaping attitudes toward IPV. Neighboring women’s acceptance of IPV increases individual acceptance of IPV. Peer effects are strongest among less-educated and asset-poor women. Evidence suggests that peer attitudes contribute to the persistence of IPV. Policies promoting women’s empowerment can challenge harmful social norms.

ISSN

1354-5701

Publisher

Informa UK Limited

Disciplines

Business

Keywords

attitudes, domestic violence, India, instrumental variable, Neighborhood, social effects

Scopus ID

105049692037

Indexed in Scopus

yes

Open Access

yes

Open Access Type

Hybrid: This publication is openly available in a subscription-based journal/series

Download

Included in

Business Commons

Share

COinS