Gender violence cost estimated to be as high as €185 per person in Spain

THE economic cost of sexist violence against women in Spain is estimated to be as high as €185 per person, according to a new government report.

The government’s Impact of Gender Violence in Spain report estimated the cost as a percentage of economic output (Gross Domestic Product- GDP) was at least 0.11 per cent.

Estimates range as high as 0.76 per cent, according to the study which used data from 2016, the most recent available. The total cost to the Spanish economy in cash terms was estimated to be between almost €1.3 billion and more than €8.5 billion.

The report calculated the costs based on the estimated losses incurred by women who suffer from sexist attacks being unemployed or off work. It also factored in the cost to the Spanish health system and to the police and courts.

Those factors are referred to in the report as tangible costs, those which can be measured. Intangible costs such as the psychological impact gender violence has on women’s children and relatives could be between almost €4.9 billion and more than €14.8 billion, according to the report.

The authors of the report state their findings could be limited by the quality of the statistics available meaning the costs could be much higher.