Domestic violence against women spikes after they have kids because mothers can no longer run away easily.
April 20, 2026
Original Paper
Motherhood and Violence
SSRN · 6509178
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The Takeaway
Parenthood is often cited as a time when men become more aggressive toward their partners. This research proves that the men's behavior does not actually change in frequency or intensity. The spike in reported violence happens because the woman is now trapped by the needs of her child. She loses the financial and physical mobility required to leave a dangerous home. We assume that a new baby triggers a psychological shift in the perpetrator. Instead, the change is entirely about the reduced exit options for the victim.
From the abstract
Two factors shape women's exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV): whether partners use violence and whether women remain in violent relationships. Standard IPV measures cannot separate these margins, yet they imply different policy responses. I propose a framework to disentangle them in the context of motherhood, when IPV exposure often rises. A simple model yields distinct predictions which can be tested with data recording past violence and separation histories. Using Mexican survey data