The economic impacts of rape

We estimate the economic impacts of rape using population-wide Finnish police reports and hospital admissions. Over the five years following a rape, victims’ employment falls by 6 percentage points and annual earnings decline by €1,500, alongside a 6 percentage point increase in anti-depressant use, relative to otherwise observationally equivalent women. These effects persist for at least a decade and correspond to a 15% decline in employment, 17% earnings loss, and 28% rise in anti-depressant use relative to pre-assault baselines. Rape also generates spillover effects to victims’ networks: female schoolmates and victims’ parents experience significant mental health deterioration.