Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) continues to pose a serious threat to the well-being of women worldwide. A serious shortcoming of IPV statistics is under-reporting by women surveyed.

A recent study[1] studies the role of geographic proximity of the wife’s natal family to incidences of IPV. Such proximity shapes power dynamics in marriage, especially in patrilocal arrangements where women may be required to move to the husband’s home after marriage. The study surveys 835 married women in Uzbekistan, where IPV was classified as an administrative offense only as late as in 2019 and criminalized only in 2023.

Parental proximity was defined as parents residing in the same city as the married woman. The study finds that geographical proximity to the natal family reduces concealment of abuse and also lowers incidences of IPV. This possibly arises as a result of closer monitoring of the daughter and the threat of reputational sanction against the perpetrator, when required. On the other hand, staying away from the parents’ family might deprive the woman from these protection mechanisms, keeping her in the abusive environment (fear-driven concealment).

In developing economies with patriarchal attitudes, where formal structures are relatively nascent (and even absent), informal protection from family seems to serve a very important purpose in shaping family dynamics for married women. This has important implications for labour migration programs and urban resettlement schemes that may expose young women to domestic abuse, by distancing them from their natal home.

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[1] Egamberdieva, M., & Zakharov, N. (2026). Under the wing: The effect of parental proximity on intimate partner violence and underreporting. Economics Letters, 113125.

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