Gender-Based Violence in the Developing World Initiative
Gender-based violence is a global problem, but countries with lower levels of economic development often have higher incidence and intensity of violence against women. Although the problem has been studied extensively at the level of individual risk factors, reactive intervention strategies, and interventions in medical settings, there is a relative lack of understanding on the broader social, economic, cultural, and political mechanisms driving such violence.
The Gender-Based Violence in the Developing World initiative was created in 2021 to study the larger context of violence against women, including in the household, workforce, and broader community. The initiative is examining how social, political, and judicial institutions have enabled and shaped responses to the problem.
With an initial focus on Latin America and the Middle East, the initiative is, among other efforts, developing common survey instruments to measure difficult-to-quantify behaviors and outcomes, and seeks to develop and evaluate interventions that reduce violence against women.
Team
- Lisa Blaydes, principal investigator
- Beatriz Magaloni, principal investigator
- James Fearon, collaborator
- Mae MacDonald, research associate
Past Team Members
- Michael Beshay, predoctoral research fellow
Selected Work
Publications
Understanding Intimate Partner Violence (forthcoming)
Authoritarian State Repression of Women and Girls
News
Highlighting the experience of migrant domestic workers in the Arab Gulf region
Contact
For more information about the initiative, please contact King Center Executive Director Jessica Leino at jleino@stanford.edu.