Safer If Connected? Mobile Technology and Intimate Partner Violence.

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Sociology
• Technology and Development

Background:

• Mobile phones serve as economic tools and social connectors for low-income populations.
• They can help women transcend physical limitations and social isolation.
• Understanding technology's role in women's safety is crucial for global development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between women's mobile phone ownership and the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV).
• To analyze potential mechanisms, including decision-making power and partner attitudes, linking mobile phone use to reduced IPV.
• To examine these relationships across 10 low- and middle-income countries.

Main Methods:

• Utilized micro-level data from recent Demographic and Health Surveys, including novel mobile phone ownership data.
• Employed statistical analyses controlling for socioeconomic status, household resources, and community development.
• Applied nonparametric matching and instrumental variable techniques for robustness checks.

Main Results:

• Women's mobile phone ownership correlated with a 9%-12% reduction in reported emotional, physical, and sexual intimate partner violence in the past year.
• This association was observed in seven out of 10 countries studied.
• Mobile phone ownership was positively linked to increased women's decision-making power and decreased male partners' acceptance of IPV.

Conclusions:

• Mobile phone diffusion is associated with reduced intimate partner violence, contributing to women's empowerment.
• Technology can be a tool for enhancing women's safety and agency in low- and middle-income settings.
• Findings inform policymakers and scholars on leveraging technology for gender equality and global development.