Armed Conflict and Domestic Violence: Evidence from Rwanda

The 1994 Rwandan genocide deeply affected the structure of the population by decreasing the sex ratio, the relative number of men and women. In addition, those living in urban areas with an educated background were more likely to be killed during the mass slaying, which resulted in a loss of human capital (De Walque and Verwimp, 2010). This study uses data from the 2005 Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey and employs an empirical strategy similar to differences-in-differences to study how the demographic changes caused by the genocide affected domestic violence and other marriage outcomes. I find that women who got married after the genocide in provinces where the sex ratio decreased more were more likely to become victims of intimate partner violence. I also find that they married less educated husbands. The results are consistent with a one-sided spousal search model, where women lower their reservation values as a consequence of the scarcity of men and the deterioration of the quality of potential husbands caused by the genocide. JEL Codes: J12, O12