Mining Presence and Domestic Violence : Evidence from Peru

The violence against women continues to be a prevalent social problem in Peru. This paper aims to estimate the effects of mining activity on violence against women, as measured by three variables: psychological, physical, and sexual. In addition, a total violence variable is considered, the sum of these three types of violence. To do so, we use the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) and employ a geographical difference-in-differences approach to compare districts affected by mining activity with those that are not affected. Possible transmission mechanisms by which mining activity affects violence, such as education and employment status, are also analyzed. Finally, using the National Survey of Households, we estimate the effects of mining activity on women’s and men’s incomes. The results indicate that mining activity leads to a reduction in violence against women across all measures. We also find that the better educated a woman is, the less violence she is likely to experience, and when she is employed and earns more than her partner, which aligns with the theory of intra-household bargaining. Additionally, we find that mining activity positively affects women’s incomes