Social and Economic Factors of Violence Against Women in the South of Moldova: Identification, Estimation, and Mechanisms of Elimination

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15826/csp.2022.6.3.192

Abstract

A surge in violence against women requires a better understanding of its causes and factors, which is the problem that this study seeks to address. This study aims to identify mechanisms through which these factors are reproduced on all levels of the gender system (individual, family, social milieu, professional milieu, state institutions). The focus is made on the case of the Autonomous Territorial Unit Gagauzia in Moldova. The study relies on systems analysis methods and approaches based on the institutional economic theory, systems theory and gender economics to assess the impact of socio-economic factors on the likelihood of intimate partner violence (IPV) in this region. In Gagauzia, there is a decline in women’s opportunities to realize their economic rights and ensure their financial independence. While the incomes of households are falling, gender discrimination, including physical violence, is perceived as justified by more and more people. Another contributing factor is the lack of effective mechanisms for IPV prevention. The factors contributing to IPV are related to the system of specialized institutions, which impose sanctions for violating the rules of gender stereotypical behavior.  The study proposes a set of projects to promote more egalitarian norms on all levels of the gender system.

Author Biography

Elena V. Bazueva, Perm State University, Perm, Russia; Vologda Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vologda, Russia

Elena V. Bazueva is a Doctor of Economics, Professor at the Department of the World and Regional Economy, Economic Theory at Perm State University, and a Leading Researcher at the Vologda Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. She has more than 140 scientific publications devoted to the issues of gender inequality in labor, family economy, reproductive efficiency, human capital, possible trends of inclusive economic growth. She pays particular attention to the development of conceptual and methodological foundations in the study of permanent gender inequality reproduction. She provides expertise on women’s rights in Moldova and Perm region. Her recent publications are focused on the problems of transformation of socially significant institutions of the regional economic system.

References


  • Adams, A. E., Tolman, R. M., Bybee, D., Sullivan, C. M., & Kennedy, A. C. (2012). The impact of intimate partner violence on low-income women’s economic well-being: The mediating role of job stability. Violence Against Women, 18(12), 1345–1367. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801212474294

  • Addressing gender-based violence in Chirsova village: Situation analysis. (2018). UNDP Moldova.

  • Ahmed, S. M. (2005). Intimate partner violence against women: experiences from a woman-focused development programme in Matlab, Bangladesh. Journal of Health, Population, and Nutrition, 23(1), 95–101.

  • Bazueva, E. V. (2015). Sistema institutov gendernoi vlasti v ekonomike Rossii: Osnovy teorii i metodologii [The system of institutions of gender power in the Russian economy: Fundamentals of theory and methodology]. Perm State University.

  • Beijing declaration and platform for action: Beijing+5 political declaration and outcome. (2015). UN Women.

  • Bott, S., Morrison, A., & Ellsberg, M. (2005). Preventing and responding to genderbased violence in middle and low-income countries: A global review and analysis (Working Paper No. 3618). The World Bank Policy Research. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/8210

  • Buller, A. M., Peterman, A., Ranganathan, M., Bleile, A., Hidrobo, M., & Heise, L. (2018). A mixed-method review of cash transfers and intimate partner violence in lowand middle-income countries. The World Bank Research Observer, 33(2), 218–258. https://doi.org/10.1093/wbro/lky002

  • Chin, Y.-M. (2016). Employment, empowerment, and spousal violence on women in developing countries. In M. L. Connerley & J. Wu (Eds.), Handbook on well-being of working women. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9897-6_43

  • Committee of Ministers. (2002). Recommendation Rec(2002)5 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on the protection of women against violence. Council of Europe.

  • Connerley, M. L., & Wu, J. (Eds.). (2016). Handbook on well-being of working women. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9897-6

  • Cools, S., & Kotsadam, A. (2017). Resources and intimate partner violence in Sub-Saharan Africa. World Development, 95, 211–230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2017.02.027

  • Dalal, K., Dahlström, Ö., & Timpka, T. (2013). Interactions between microfinance programmers and non-economic empowerment of women associated with intimate partner violence in Bangladesh: A cross-sectional study. BMJ Open, 3(12), Article e002941. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2013-002941

  • De, P. K., & Christian, A. (2020). Microfinance participation and intimate partner violence among women in Bangladesh. Oxford Economic Papers, 72(2), 435–452. https://doi.org/10.1093/oep/gpz032

  • Duvvury, N., Callan, A., Carney, P., & Raghavendra, S. (2013). Intimate partner violence: Economic costs and implications for growth and development. The World Bank. https://hdl.handle.net/10986/16697

  • European Institute for Gender Equality. (2013). Mainstreaming gender into the policies and the programmers of the institutions of the European Union and EU Member States. Publications Office of the European Union. https://doi.org/10.2839/43849

  • European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights. (2013). Violence against women: An EU-wide survey: Survey methodology, sample and fieldwork (Technical report). Publications Office of the European Union. https://doi.org/10.2811/67959

  • European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights. (2015). Violence against women: an EU-wide survey: Main results. Publications Office of the European Union. https://doi.org/10.2811/981927

  • Eurostat. (2022). Employment and activity by sex and age—Annual data [Data set]. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/LFSI_EMP_A__custom_3534040/default/table?lang=en

  • Heise, L. L., & Kotsadam, A. (2015). Cross-national and multilevel correlates of partner violence: an analysis of data from population-based surveys. The Lancet: Global Health, 3(6), e332–e340. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(15)00013-3

  • Hidrobo, M., Peterman, A., & Heise, L. (2016). The effect of cash, vouchers, and food transfers on intimate partner violence: Evidence from a randomized experiment in Northern Ecuador. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 8(3), 284–303. https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20150048

  • Hughes, C., Bolis, M., Fries, R., & Finigan, S. (2015). Women’s economic inequality and domestic violence: Exploring the links and empowering women. Gender & Development, 23(2), 279–297. https://doi.org/10.1080/13552074.2015.1053216

  • International Labour Organization. (2012). A manual for gender audit facilitators: The ILO participatory gender audit methodology (2nd ed.). International Labour Office. https://www.ilo.org/gender/Informationresources/WCMS_187411/lang--en/index.htm

  • Johnson, I. M. (1992). Economic, situational, and psychological correlates of the decision-making process of battered women. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 73(3), 168–176. https://doi.org/10.1177/104438949207300305

  • Kim, J. C., Watts, C. H., Hargreaves, J. R., Ndhlovu, L. X., Phelta, G., Morison, L. A., Busza, J., Porter, J. D. H., & Pronyk, P. (2007). Understanding the impact of a microfinance-based intervention on women’s empowerment and the reduction of intimate partner violence in South Africa. American Journal of Public Health, 97(10), 1794–1802. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2006.095521

  • Koenig, M. A., Ahmed, S., Hossain, M. B. & Mozumder, K. A. (2003). Women’s status and domestic violence in rural Bangladesh: Individual- and community-level effects. Demography, 40(2), 269–288. https://doi.org/10.1353/dem.2003.0014

  • Law No. 5 of 09-02-2006 “Cu privire la asigurarea egalităţii de şanse între femei şi bărbaţi” [On ensuring equal opportunities between women and men]. (2006). Republica Moldova. https://www.legis.md/cautare/getResults?doc_id=107179&lang=ro

  • McWhirter, P. T. (2006). Community therapeutic intervention for women healing from trauma. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 31(4), 339–351. https://doi.org/10.1080/01933920600918857

  • National Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Moldova. (2021). Regional statistics [Data set]. https://statbank.statistica.md/PxWeb/pxweb/en/60%20Statistica%20regionala/?rxid=b2ff27d7-0b96-43c9-934b-42e1a2a9a774

  • Nevala, S. (2017). Coercive control and its impact on intimate partner violence through the lens of an EU-Wide Survey on Violence Against Women. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 32(12), 1792–1820. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260517698950

  • North, D. (1990). Institutions, institutional change and economic performance. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511808678

  • Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. (2019). Well-being and safety of women: OSCE-led survey on violence against women: Moldova. https://www.osce.org/secretariat/424979

  • Polterovich, V. (1999). Institutsional’nye lovushki i ekonomicheskie reformy [Institutional traps and economic reforms]. Economics and Mathematical Methods, 35(2), 3–20.

  • Rapoport, B., & Thibout, C. (2018). Why do boys and girls make different educational choices? The influence of expected earnings and test scores. Economics of Education Review, 62, 205–229. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2017.09.006

  • Ridgeway, C. L., & Correll, S. J. (2004). Unpacking the gender system: A theoretical perspective on gender beliefs and social relations. Gender & Society, 18(4), 510–531. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243204265269

  • Rubery, J. (2002). Gender mainstreaming and gender equality in the EU: The impact of the EU employment strategy. Industrial Relations Journal, 33(5), 500–522. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2338.00250

  • Sabarwal, S., Santhya, K. G., & Jejeebhoy, S. J. (2014). Women’s autonomy and experience of physical violence within marriage in rural India: Evidence from a prospective study. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 29(2), 332–347. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260513505144

  • Sanders, C. K. (2015). Economic abuse in the lives of women abused by an intimate partner: A qualitative study. Violence Against Women, 21(1), 3–29. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801214564167

  • Sanders, C. K., Weaver, T. L., & Schnabel, M. (2007). Economic education for battered women: An evaluation of outcomes. Affilia: Feminist Inquiry in Social Work, 22(3), 240–254. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886109907302261

  • Scaricabarozzi, R. (2017). Women’s economic independence, a way out of violence: Policies and practices to promote women’s economic empowerment to be able to leave violent relationships. WE GO! Women Economic-independence & Growth Opportunity. Rights, Equality and Citizenship (REC) Programme of the European Union.

  • Shiraz, M. S. (2016). The impact of education and occupation on domestic violence in Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Social Welfare, 25(4), 339–346. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsw.12214

  • Sinha, D., & Kumar, P. (2022). Trick or treat: Does a microfinance loan induce or reduce the chances of spousal violence against women? Answers from India. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 37(7–8), NP4030–NP4056. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260520957681

  • Statistica Moldovei [National Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Moldova], & United Nations Development Programme Moldova. (2011). Violence against Women in the Family in the Republic of Moldova. https://www.undp.org/moldova/publications/violence-against-women-family-republic-moldova

  • Swedish Gender Mainstreaming Support Committee (JämStöd). (2007a). Gender equality in public services: Some useful advice оn gender mainstreaming.

  • Swedish Gender Mainstreaming Support Committee (JämStöd). (2007b). Gender mainstreaming manual: A book of practical methods from the Swedish Gender Mainstreaming Support Committee. Edita Publishing Ab.

  • Terrazas-Carrillo, E. C., & McWhirter, P. T. (2015). Employment status and intimate partner violence among Mexican women. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 30(7), 1128–1152. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260514539848

  • UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). (1988). General Recommendation No. 6: Effective National Machinery and Publicity.

  • United Nations Development Program. (2020). Tackling social norms: A game changer for gender inequalities. https://doi.org/10.18356/ff6018a7-en

  • Violence against women prevalence estimates, 2018: Global, regional and national prevalence estimates for intimate partner violence against women and global and regional prevalence estimates for non-partner sexual violence against women. (2021). World Health Organization.

  • WE GO 2 against violence: Building economic independence: the way out of intimate partner violence. (2018). ActionAid Italy. https://morethanprojects.actionaid.it/en/projects/wego2-economic-empowerment/

  • Women, Business and the Law. (2020). The World Bank. https://doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-1532-4

Published
2022-10-10
How to Cite
Bazueva, E. (2022). Social and Economic Factors of Violence Against Women in the South of Moldova: Identification, Estimation, and Mechanisms of Elimination. Changing Societies & Personalities, 6(3), 610–633. doi:10.15826/csp.2022.6.3.192
Citation Formats
Issue
Vol. 6, No. 3 (2022)
Section
Articles