Overstretched: Financial distress and intimate partner violence in the U.S.

This study examines the effect of financial distress within households on intimate partner violence in the United States. By leveraging the timing of bank closing days and fixed wage payment schedules, we identify months when households have to stretch their finances due to changes in their regular payment schedules. Using monthly records from the National Crime Victimization Survey, we find that these shocks significantly increase the likelihood of women experiencing IPV. We further corroborate the assumption of worsened household conditions during these periods by documenting changes in household behavior in terms of expenditures and time use.