Austerity and gender-based violence: insights from England and Wales

We investigate the relationship between austerity-driven welfare cuts and gender- basedviolenceinEnglandandWalesfrom2006-2019. Usingdifference-in-differences andeventstudymethods,weexploitgeographicandtemporalvariationinexposureto theausteritywelfarereformandconstructanovelexposuremeasurefromactualgov- ernmentexpendituredata. Increasedexposuretowelfarecutsincreasedgender-based violence reporting, with effects emerging 2 years post-implementation and growing over time. Effects were nearly twice as large outside London (16.2% vs. 9.5%) and twiceaslargeindeprivedcommunities. Complementaryanalysisusingvictimisation data shows no corresponding increase in violence prevalence, indicating that higher reporting reflects changes in victims’ help-seeking behaviour rather than rising inci- dence. As welfare support diminished, victims increasingly turned to police as their primary remaining avenue for assistance. The results underscore the importance of considering genderedeffectsinausterityand welfare policyreforms.