Gender-Based Violence and Judge Responses / Xiqian Cai, Shuai Chen, Zhengquan Cheng, Emily E. Nix.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cai, Xiqian.

Contributor:

Chen, Shuai.

Cheng, Zhengquan.

Nix, Emily E.

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w34345.

NBER working paper series no. w34345

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2025.

Summary:

In China, only 37% of divorce petitions citing domestic violence are granted, with evidence suggesting that judges often prioritize preserving marriages even in cases of abuse. We investigate whether judicial decision-making can shift in response to broader social change. Exploiting the rise of the #MeToo movement, which reshaped societal perceptions of gender-based violence, we find that female judges in China became 8 percentage points more likely to grant divorces in domestic violence cases. These results suggest that judicial attitudes and actions on gender-based violence cases are malleable.

Notes:

October 2025.

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