When all the Good Men are Gone: Sex Ratio and Domestic Violence in Post-Genocide Rwanda

This paper studies the effect of the Rwandan genocide on match quality in the marriage market, as measured by the incidence of domestic violence. The genocide changed the population structure of Rwanda by decreasing the sex ratio. In addition, those living in urban areas with an educated background were more likely to be killed during the mass slaying, which resulted in a loss of human capital (De Walque and Verwimp, 2010). I use data from the 2005 Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey and I employ an empirical strategy similar to differences-in-differences to study how the demographic changes caused by the genocide affected domestic violence and other measures of match quality. I find that women who got married after the genocide in provinces where the sex ratio decreased more were more likely to become victims of intimate partner violence. I also find that they married less educated husbands and were less likely to have the final say on household purchases and to use contraceptive methods. The results are consistent with a one-sided spousal search model, where women lower their reservation values as a consequence of the scarcity of men and the deterioration of the quality of potential husbands caused by the genocide.