Crimes Against Women in India: A District-Level Analysis (1991–2011)

Crimes against women (CAW) in India have been rising despite faster economic growth, higher education attainment, and increasing numbers of women in the economic sphere. This article explores the reasons for the incidence of reported CAW in India. We study five CAW (rape, kidnapping, cruelty, dowry...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Lolayekar, Aparna P. (Author) ; Desouza, Shaila (Author) ; Mukhopadhyay, Pranab (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2022
In: Journal of interpersonal violence
Year: 2022, Volume: 37, Issue: 9/10, Pages: NP7289-NP7314
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Keywords:
backlash hypothesis
crimes against women
panel fixed effects
Spatial distribution
women’s empowerment
Description
Summary:Crimes against women (CAW) in India have been rising despite faster economic growth, higher education attainment, and increasing numbers of women in the economic sphere. This article explores the reasons for the incidence of reported CAW in India. We study five CAW (rape, kidnapping, cruelty, dowry deaths, and molestation), across 35 states and union territories, 594 districts, over three decades (1991?2011). We use panel fixed-effects regression models to explain crime. Our results confirm the importance of female literacy rates, female paid workforce participation, and female?male ratio in understanding crime. We find that these commonly-used socioeconomic variables have nonlinear effects on CAW. Our findings improve upon earlier results that have not explored either spatial distribution or nonlinearity in India. These findings could have significant implications for the policies aiming to reduce CAW.
ISSN:1552-6518
DOI:10.1177/0886260520967147