Essays on conflict-induced displacement and gender in Colombia

Many reports highlight the fact that women’s and men’s experience of and response to conflict-induced displacement is highly differentiated (El-Bushra, 2000; Fiddian-Qasmiyeh, 2014; Gururaja, 2000; Levine et al., 2019). However, few studies in the economics literature consider gender-specific effects. The phenomenon of conflict-induced displacement is associated with shifts that would be expected to have differential impacts on the households in which women and men live. These shifts include the risk of experiencing poverty, access to services, as well as health and education outcomes, among others. Evidence on the gender dimensions of displacement is thus needed to understand the associations between the socio-economic characteristics of displaced persons, poverty, and vulnerability and to inform policy responses that create durable solutions.

This dissertation contributes to the literature by applying a gender lens to the empirical analysis of the impacts of conflict-induced displacement. It focuses on the case of Colombia, a middle-income country with the second largest IDP population in the world. The study builds on evidence from various academic disciplines to estimate the effects of displacement on household structures, poverty, and gender norms.