The research project “Violence Against Women: Typologies, Economic and Social Consequences” is being carried out by research teams from the University of National and World Economy, through the Centre for Sociological and Psychological Research at the Department of Economic Sociology, and Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” (partner institution), through the Faculty of Economics, as part of the 2023 Call for Proposals for Funding Basic Scientific Research by the “Scientific Research” Fund (Contract No. KП-06-N75/2 of 7 December 2023).

The project has a total duration of 41 months and a total budget of EUR 155.1 thousand.

The main objective of the project is to expand fundamental knowledge about the typical forms of violence against women in Bulgaria and their social and economic consequences. By adopting an approach aimed at fostering a sustainable partnership between two of Bulgaria’s leading universities in the field of social sciences, the project will seek opportunities to investigate the main factors and causes of the phenomenon, to classify its manifestations, and to analyze its negative consequences. The knowledge gained will be used to develop practice-oriented recommendations regarding public policies, including improvements to the regulatory framework and institutional practices. Last but not least, the project also aims to raise public awareness about the causes of violence against women and ways to prevent it.

Methodologically, the project relies on so-called “mixed methods research”, i.e., a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to address specific research questions.

A desk study is planned, which will establish a conceptual and methodological framework for researching violence against women. A review of the literature and existing scientific publications will support the preparation of the other empirical studies included in the project.

In addition to the desk study, the project plans to conduct focus groups and in-depth interviews to gather expert opinions on the prevalence and manifestations of violence against women in Bulgaria and its social and economic consequences.

The empirical data from the focus groups and in-depth interviews will be supplemented by a nationally representative survey on the prevalence and manifestations of violence against women, public perceptions of violence against women, and its social and economic consequences.

A variety of research methods and techniques from the fields of sociology, economics, law, criminology, psychology and social psychology, statistics, and econometrics will be applied to analyze the data.

The project is led by Prof. Georgi Petrunov, Chair of Economic Sociology Department and Dean of the Faculty of General Economics, UNWE. The leader of the research team at Sofia University is Prof. Albena Vutsova.