Domestic violence perception and gender stereotypes

Abstract

Using a survey of more than 4500 Italian women, we address the link between gender stereotypes and perceptions of domestic violence. We define a new measure of stereotypes at the individual level and show that women with stronger stereotypes are less likely to state that violence is common in their area of residence and are more likely to classify physical violence as less severe than privacy breaches. This ranking is associated with a victim-blaming mindset among respondents with stronger stereotypes, who are also more likely to attribute violent behaviors to event-specific circumstances (e.g., economic distress) than to personal characteristics of abusers (e.g., psychological issues) and to advise a hypothetical victim not to react to violence.