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Abstract

This thesis analyzes the impact of female state political representation in India on reported domestic violence to assess whether female politicians in high-level positions change if women report domestic violence. While existing literature examines the effects of various levels of female political representation on development and policy outcomes, this paper uses a mixed-methods approach to assess whether female state political representation changes reporting behaviors of domestic violence survivors. Data on reported crimes against women and state legislative assembly elections in India between 1986 and 1998 are used to conduct ordinary least squares regressions to examine the causal effect of increasing female state political representation. Interviews with three researchers and a non-profit provide a broader understanding of the mechanisms behind the potential relationship between female state political representation and reported domestic violence. Overall, this paper finds no evidence that female state politicians affect reported domestic violence against women. Rather female-led grassroots efforts may be more effective in improving reported domestic violence. It concludes that the Indian national government must address its poor data collection on domestic violence and the inaccessibility of support for domestic violence survivors. Moreover, state governments must facilitate women’s community groups to tackle barriers hindering successful collective action against domestic violence.

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