The Councilwoman’s Tale. Countering Intimate Partner Homicides by electing women in local councils

Intimate Partner Homicides (IPHs) represent the most extreme violence against women, yet evidence on their socioeconomic determinants is scarce. This paper contributes to fill this gap focusing on Italy, where the ratio IPHs over total female homicides increased by more than 20% in ten years. We build a unique microregional dataset of IPHs between 2012 and 2019. Our instrumental variable model finds that the share of local female political representatives had a substantial negative effect on IPHs. As instrument we exploit exogenous geography of soil composition given its persistent effects on gender-biased cultural norms through historical agricultural practices. Places with more women in local public office experience lower IPHs, due to more gender-equal cultural norms. Spatial spillovers of female political representation do not play any effect. Results have policy implications, as they suggest that female political representation might have positive effect in IPHs reduction, by influencing the transmission of gender norms.