The economic impacts of rape
Abstract
We estimate the economic impacts of rape using population-wide Finnish police reports and hospital admissions.Over the five years following a rape, victims' employment falls by 6 percentage points and annual earnings decline by 1,500, alongside a 6 percentage point increase in anti-depressant use, relative to otherwise observationally equivalent women.These effects persist for at least a decade and correspond to a 15% decline in employment, 17% earnings loss, and 28% rise in anti-depressant use relative to pre-assault baselines.Rape also generates spillover effects to victims' networks: female schoolmates and victims' parents experience significant mental health deterioration.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies
Intimate Partner and Family Violence
Crime Patterns and Interventions
Publication details
- Publication date
- 24 February 2026
- Language
- EN