Smartphones and Attitudes to Intimate Partner Violence: Evidence from Africa

27 Pages Posted: 6 Jan 2023 Last revised: 13 Jan 2024

See all articles by Robert Gillanders

Robert Gillanders

Dublin City University Business School

Glenn McNamara

University College Dublin (UCD) - Department of Economics

Date Written: January 11, 2024

Abstract

This paper, using data from the Afrobarometer surveys, examines the potential for smartphones to influence attitudes to intimate partner violence (IPV). Controlling for ownership of television and radio, we find that those living in areas with a higher incidence of smartphone ownership are more likely to state that it is never justifiable for a man to beat his wife. This is the case for both male and female respondents. We find that the strength of the association between regional smartphone proliferation and attitudes to IPV is similar for those who frequently get news from social media and those who get news from elsewhere. This suggests that our results are not driven entirely by personal social media use. Finally, we only find a statistically significant relationship for those who are socially conservative.

Keywords: Intimate Partner Violence, Smartphones, Norms, Technology, Africa

Suggested Citation

Gillanders, Robert and McNamara, Glenn, Smartphones and Attitudes to Intimate Partner Violence: Evidence from Africa (January 11, 2024). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4317786 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4317786

Robert Gillanders (Contact Author)

Dublin City University Business School ( email )

Dublin 9
Ireland
Dublin 9 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://sites.google.com/site/robgillanders/

Glenn McNamara

University College Dublin (UCD) - Department of Economics ( email )

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