We Are Your Pack! Feminist Social Movements on Countering Violence against Women

• In Event: Women's Movements and Organizations

Abstract

This paper sheds light on the effects of feminist protests on pro-egalitarian social behaviors by delving into the Spanish feminist movement. The 8th of March 2018 constituted a tipping point for the Spanish feminist movement after achieving to gather 5 million people to protest all over Spain. Relying on individual and administrative data at the municipal level, I assess the behavioral effects of the 2018 Women's day protests on reported intimate partner violence. Results show that feminist mobilizations increase the sanctioning of violence against women. At the individual level, victims living in municipalities with a feminist protest are more likely to disclose their experiences to others and receiving support from them. These results are reflected at the administrative level. Following a diff-in-diff design, municipalities holding a feminist protest experienced an increase in gender-based violence reporting by third parties. Evidence suggests that this increase in support to the victims comes from a change in attitudes, namely the rise of feminist identification among women, and the consequent popularity of feminist cues for society. This study contributes to the literature on grassroots mobilizations, specifically feminist protests, and positive social change in gender-related attitudes and behaviors.

Author

• Nerea Gándara Guerra, European University Institute