The impact of media coverage of sexual violence on women’s work decisions in rural Bangladesh

Abstract Perceived fear of sexual violence can negatively impact women’s labour supply decisions, especially in cultures that value female chastity and stigmatise victims. We show that a one-standard-deviation increase in media reports of subdistrict-level sexual assaults in rural Bangladesh is associated with a 3.8 to 4.3% decline in women’s paid employment. Women reduce self-employment activities in favour of unpaid labour, which has implications for their income, consumption, and autonomy. Evidence suggests that these results may be driven by an increase in fear of potential victimisation. Media reports of sexual assaults by alleged perpetrators holding positions of power (politicians and government officials) and groups drive the estimated association. The association is also higher for conservative households. Besides their labour supply, females also respond by taking more safety precautions.