Bidirectional intimate partner violence: Evidence from a list experiment in Kenya

Abstract Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) continues to be a major public health concern that can both respond to economic policies and affect economic outcomes. Few studies regarding IPV, however, take a gender inclusive approach towards its identification. Using a sample of both men and women from rural Kenya, we are the first, to our knowledge, to conduct a list experiment with cohabiting married couples to identify the prevalence of physical violence on both men and women. We find that 14 percent of respondents agree with the statement “my spouse regularly hits me”. In contrast to other survey evidence that uses direct elicitation, we find no differences in the prevalence of male‐to‐female and female‐to‐male violence. We provide supporting evidence that bidirectional IPV accounts for the lack of gender differences. A complete understanding of the typology of IPV can be crucial for policies seeking IPV reduction.