Do agricultural subsidies matter for women's attitude towards intimate partner violence? Evidence from Malawi

Abstract

In most rural economies, agricultural subsidies generate significant attention for increasing household welfare. However, whether such subsidies matter for women's attitudes towards intimate partner violence remains unknown. This is despite evidence that women's acceptance of intimate partner violence reduces when household welfare increases. Using 2019 data from Malawi, we examine the relationship between an agricultural subsidy on a crop that mostly uses women's labour in Malawi (maize) and women's attitudes towards intimate partner violence. We find that women whose households benefit from the agricultural subsidy find it unjustifiable for a man to beat his woman. The results limit to women who affiliate to matrilineal traditions, under which only women own land. These results suggest that agricultural subsidies matter for women's attitudes towards intimate partner violence. This is true among women who become empowered, because they own production capital (land and labour) for subsidised crops.