Don't Cross the Line: Bounding the Causal Effect of Hypergamy Violation on Domestic Violence in India
利用印度微观数据，采用非参数边界方法，研究发现妻子经济地位等于或超过丈夫时（违反高攀），家庭暴力显著增加，可能源于对父权观念的挑战及男性对妻子劳动市场的破坏。
Abstract We empirically examine whether violation of hypergamy—which occurs when the wife's economic status equals or exceeds that of her husband's—causally affects domestic violence using microdata from India. Identifying the causal effect of hypergamy violation on domestic violence, however, is challenging due to unmeasured confounding and reverse causality. To overcome these difficulties, we utilize a non-parametric bounds approach. Employing this approach, we find strong evidence that violation of hypergamy leads to a significant increase in domestic violence. Furthermore, we provide suggestive evidence that this result arises because violation of hypergamy is likely to undermine patriarchal beliefs and norms about gender roles, and also because it is likely to increase men's likelihood of using domestic violence as an instrument to sabotage their wives' labour market prospects. Our findings suggest that policies that seek to empower women and promote gender equality might paradoxically increase women's exposure to domestic violence.