The Councilwoman’s Tale. Countering Intimate Partner Homicides by electing women in local councils

Intimate Partner Homicides (IPHs) represent the ultimate violence against women driven by gender bias, yet evidence on their determinants is scarce. We address this gap by empirically investigating whether IPHs are affected by local female political empowerment, a recognized manifestation of gender norms. This argument is evaluated in two empirical studies addressing Italy, where IPHs increased by 20% in ten years. The analysis is enabled by a unique microregional dataset of female homicides, that contains exclusively data on gender-motivated murders. First, we measure whether places with more women in local council have less IPHs and find that electing more councilwomen reduces IPHs, while electing more female mayors does not. Instrumental variable estimation supports these results not being biased by endogeneity issues. Second, given the crucial role of councilwomen in countering IPHs identified in the first study, we measure the extent of IPH reduction which results from the introduction of gender quotas in the election of council members. Staggered difference-in-difference estimates show that gender quotas increase elected councilwomen, who in turn lower IPHs. While the effect of gender quotas on councilwomen appears stable, the one on IPHs declines after some years, suggesting the occurrence of a cultural backlash against gender-equal norms. Collectively, this research supports exposure to women in local politics as relevant to counter prejudices and reduced IPHs