Abstract:
Surge in sexual violence in India is a public concern in the recent times. I present
the stylized facts regarding rapes in India over time and contrast them to global data.
Incidence of rape is positively associated with per capita income of that country and
to female participation in the labour force. The documented empirical facts may not
be representative of the reality because of many unreported incidences. Even though,
we accept the empirical facts on its face value, these facts may not represent general
rise in crime levels but a shift in occupational choice for women who are increasingly
into non-traditional roles. I build a theoretical model where a woman has the choice
to work in non-traditional sector as opposed to a traditional one. The model predicts
that the gender gap in wages will reduce with technological progress but the sexual
assault will register a rise. This will result in intensification in public demand for
infrastructure that makes woman safe in their non-traditional role.
Description:
Kausik Gangopadhyay, Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIM-K), IIMK Campus
P.O., Kozhikode 673570, India.
