Queen Bees and Domestic Violence: Patrilocal Marriage in Tajikistan

A longstanding tradition of patrilocal marriage – living with the parents-in-law affects every generation of Central Asian women and their choices regarding childbearing, employment and education. While anthropological evidence suggests that elder matriarchs (Queen Bees) play a key and often detrimental role in the lives of the junior women in their households, rigorous empirical studies are scarce. We use Tajikistan 2012 DHS data to explore the correlation between domestic violence and young married women’s living arrangements. Through a quasi-experimental study designed, we establish a positive and statistically significant treatment effect. Women who live with the in-law family are at least 24.6% more likely to experience emotional abuse committed by their husbands/partners. A similar effect does not emerge between physical violence, either severe or less severe, and a presence of the Queen Bee in the household. JEL Classification: Z13; J12; J16