Attacking Women or their Policies? Understanding Violence against Women in Politics

We present causal evidence that female nayors are systematically more likely to experience political violence. Drawing on fourteen years of data, we show that marginally elected female mayors -- similar to men and elected in comparable towns, are three times more likely to be attacked. We find no gender differences in actions taken either before election (campaign platforms) or while in office (policy, performance, or corruption). Instead, violence appears unrelated to women's political choices, suggesting that discrimination, rather than political influence, may be an important driver of the violence gap. Finally, women who are attacked are less likely to seek re-election, pointing to a possible link between political violence and the persistence of gender gaps in political representation.