The economic impacts of rape

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Authors: Abi Adams, Kristiina Huttunen, Emily Nix, Ning Zhang
Cited by: 0

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