Crime and Gender Segregation: Evidence from the Bogota "Pico y Genero" Lockdown / Brian G. Knight, Maria Mercedes Ponce de Leon, Ana Tribin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Knight, Brian G.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Ponce de Leon, Maria Mercedes.

Tribin, Ana.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w28686.

NBER working paper series no. w28686

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2021.

Summary:

This paper investigates the link between gender and crime using information from a gender-based lockdown policy in Bogota Colombia during the pandemic. Under the policy, men were allowed out on odd days and women on even days, and we investigate whether overall crime rates differed and whether crime was lower on women-only days. We compare crime in Bogota to other cities and, within Bogota, the gender-based lockdown period to weeks with other lockdown policies. Our key findings are that crime rates are higher during the gender-based lockdown policy and that this is driven by more crime involving male victims and on men-only days. There is no evidence that higher crime on men-only days is offset by less crime on women-only days. The higher crimes on men-only days is driven by robbery, stolen cars and motorcycles, and homicides. We find higher sexual crimes on women-only days and an increase in domestic violence on both types of days. Taken together, our results suggest that gender segregation, if anything, tends to increase crime.

Notes:

Print version record

April 2021.