Employment without empowerment: Low-wage manufacturing and intimate partner violence in Nicaragua, 1998–2012

Louise Grogan

World Development, 2025, vol. 195, issue C

Abstract: This paper examines the impact of new employment opportunities for women in manufacturing on intimate partner violence (IPV) in Nicaragua. The timing of export processing zone (EPZ) placement and the characteristics of recruited employees are exploited for inference. IPV is found to increase as a result of this employment. Consistent with ‘male backlash’ and instrumental motives for IPV, controlling behaviour and alcohol over-consumption by women’s partners rises. When potential wages are very low, bargaining power effects of employment may be dominated by motives of re-assertion of control and resource extraction.

Keywords: Intimate partner violence (IPV); Manufacturing employment; Export processing zones; Bargaining power; Jealousy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J12 J26 O12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:195:y:2025:i:c:s0305750x25001068

DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2025.107021

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