"The Effect of Banning Instant Triple Divorce on Domestic Violence : Evidence from the Triple Talaq Law in India"
joint with Maëlys de la Rupelle

Abstract :
We investigate whether divorce laws influence domestic violence and women’s bargaining power in the context of a developing country. Exploiting the implementation of the instant triple Talaq law in India, we study the effect of banning the practice of instant triple divorce, initiated by Muslim men, on various forms of domestic violence. We employ a difference-in-differences design, comparing ever-married Muslim women to ever-married non-Muslim women, before and after the reform. We find that the introduction of the law significantly increased physical and severe domestic violence and decision-making authority for Muslim women relative to non-Muslim women following the reform. This aligns with the ‘male backlash’ theory, suggesting that an improvement in women’s situation may not necessarily lead to intended consequences. We also find that the impact of the law depends on the Muslim’s minority status, the rise of the political representation of the Hindu nationalist parties (BJP), and the media coverage.