Abstract
Abstract
Background
Little is known regarding economic impacts of intimate partner violence (IPV) in humanitarian settings, especially the labor market burden. Examining costs of IPV beyond the health burden may provide new information to help with resource allocation for addressing IPV, including within conflict zones. This paper measures the incidence and prevalence of different types of IPV, the potential relationship between IPV and labor market activity, and estimating the cost of these IPV-associated labor market differentials.
Methods
The association between labor market outcomes, IPV experience, and conflict exposure among women ages 15–49 in Nigeria were studied using the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey and 2013–17 Uppsala Conflict Data Program data. Descriptive analysis was used to identify patterns of IPV and labor outcomes by region. Based on this, multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between labor market participation and lifetime IPV exposure. These models were combined with earnings data from the United Nations Human Development Report 2021/2022 and a top-down costing approach to quantify the impacts in terms of lost productivity to the Nigerian economy.
Results
Substantial differences in IPV exposure and labor market outcomes were found between conflict and non-conflict-affected areas. Women with past year or lifetime exposure to physical, emotional, or “any” IPV were more likely to withdraw from the labor market in the past year, although no differences were found for sexual IPV or conflict-affected regions. We estimate an average reduction of 4.14% in the likelihood of working, resulting in nearly $3.0 billion USD of lost productivity, about 1% of Nigeria’s total economic output.
Conclusions
Increased odds of labor market withdraw were associated with several measures of IPV. Withdrawal from the formal labor market sector has a substantial associated economic cost for all of Nigerian society. If stronger prevention measures reduce the incidence of IPV against women in Nigeria, a substantial portion of lost economic costs likely could be reclaimed. These costs underscore the economic case, alongside the moral imperative, for stronger protections against IPV for girls and women in Nigeria.
Funder
US State Department Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Reference37 articles.
1. Stark L, Seff I, Reis C. Gender-based violence against adolescent girls in humanitarian settings: a review of the evidence. The Lancet. 2020;5(3):210–22.
2. Stark L, Ager A. A systematic review of prevalence studies of gender-based violence in complex emergencies. Trauma Violence Abuse. 2011;12(3):127–34.
3. Meinhart M, Seff I, Troy K, Mcnelly S, Vahedi L, Poulton C, et al. Identifying the Impact of Intimate Partner Violence in Humanitarian Settings: Using an Ecological Framework to Review 15 Years of Evidence. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18:6963.
4. Vyas S, Meinhart M, Troy K, Brumbaum H, Poulton C, Stark L. The Economic Cost of Violence Against Women and Girls in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review of the Evidence. Trauma Violence Abuse. 2021;17:152483802110160.
5. Meyer SR, Hardt S, Brambilla R, Page S, Stöckl H. Explaining intimate partner violence through economic theories: A systematic review and narrative synthesis. Aggress Violent Behav. 2024;1(77):101929.