Virtual Mobility: Mitigating the Adverse Effect of Violence Against Women on the Development of Employment Capabilities

Violence against women (VAW) is an endemic phenomenon that adversely affects the entire female population, even those who might not have directly experienced violence. This paper examines VAW's adverse effects on all women's employment capabilities by imposing restrictions on mobility in public spaces, a fundamental resource required for capability development. Drawing upon the new mobilities paradigm, this study also posits that information and computer technologies (ICTs) can enable virtual mobility, which could reduce women's reliance on mobility in public spaces to develop employment capabilities. Country-level data from the WomanStats Project, the World Bank and the International Labor Organization are used to test the propositions. Implications for viewing virtual mobility as a resource to develop women's employment capabilities in the presence of VAW are discussed.