Consensual Unions, Property Rights, and Patrimonial Violence against Women in Latin America

Abstract

Abstract Consensual unions in Latin America are becoming more common than marriages. We analyze the evolution of the laws recognizing consensual unions as well as those proscribing domestic violence, including patrimonial violence, for nineteen countries. While the formal property rights of married women and those in consensual unions are now similar, we show that the latter are in a more precarious position, experiencing higher incidences of intimate partner violence. In Colombia and Ecuador, the women in consensual unions also experience higher rates of economic and patrimonial violence. Drawing on qualitative research, we also explore the barriers to women in consensual unions exercising their property rights.