Ethnicity, Gender and Citizenship
Despite social progress and economic advancement in recent years, different forms of social exclusion persist in Peru, which limit the access to development resources for indigenous peoples and Peruvians of African descent. These communities’ ability to fully realize their social, economic, and civil rights is in turn severely diminished. Along with these forms of social exclusion, various mores and institutions of Peruvian society perpetuate other types of social inequalities based on gender and have resulted in unequal opportunities for men and women in our country.
Both forms of inequality have structural roots that not only manifest themselves in civic and economic life, but also find expression in daily acts of discrimination and violence (physical and symbolic).
In this context, GRADE has produced a corpus of studies that explores the multiple dimensions of these forms of social inequality. The studies seek, above all, to bring these problems to the fore by measuring the magnitude of their impact on society, and in turn, we have created a resource for data and analysis that responds to these inequalities.
Building on these studies, we have begun to explore both the causes and consequences of these forms of exclusion, discrimination, and violence. We additionally conduct advocy with the state to incorporate solutions to these issues into its public policy agenda, and we likewise consult on the design of these policy resolutions..
Senior Researchers
-
María Balarin Bonazzi
PhD en Educational Policy - University of Bath
María Balarin is a Senior Researcher at the Group for the Analysis of Development (GRADE) in Peru. Her research explores the political economy of education reform and educational justice in the Global South, with a particular focus on gender dynamics and socioeconomic exclusion. She has examined how state weakness shapes education reforms, the processes of […]
-
Martín Benavides Abanto (on leave)
PhD en Sociology - Pennsylvania State University
Martín Benavides has a PhD in Sociology from Pennsylvania State University where he also attained a Master’s Degree in Education Policy. He has a degree in Sociology and a BA in Sociology from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, and has been a visiting student on issues of social mobility and inequality at Nuffield College […]
-
Juan León Jara-Almonte
PhD en - Pennsylvania State University
Juan has a PhD in Educational Theory and Policy and Comparative & International Education from Pennsylvania State University. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences with mention in Economics from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. Currently, he is a Senior Researcher at GRADE. His research interests are inequality in education, intercultural bilingual education, early […]
-
Martín Valdivia Huaringa
PhD en Applied Economics - University of Minnesota
Martin Valdivia has a PhD in Applied Economics from the University of Minnesota. He has worked as a Senior Researcher at GRADE since 1993. His fields of interest include entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, rural development and more recently democratic governance, with publications in journals such as the Review of Economics and Statistics, the Journal of Development […]
Associated Researchers
-
Néstor Valdivia Vargas
PhD candidate en Sociology - El Colegio de México
Néstor Valdivia is studying for a PhD in Sociology at El Colegio de México and holds a degree in Sociology from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. He is currently an Associate Researcher at GRADE in the fields of poverty and equality, education, the labor market and human development. He has worked on development and […]
External Consultants
-
Paulo César Carrasco Fernández
Degree en - Pedro Ruíz Gallo National University
Paulo holds a Degree in Sociology from the National University Pedro Ruiz Gallo in Lambayeque and is a member of the Professional Board of Sociologists in Peru (Colegio de Sociólogos del Perú). Currently he is a Field Supervisor of the Childhood, Violence and Development Project funded by Bernard van Leer Foundation.
Publications
-
¿Qué hemos aprendido del estudio longitudinal Niños del Milenio en el Perú? Nuevos hallazgos y desafíos pendientes (2018-2025)
Antonio Campos, Sofía Madrid, Santiago Cueto, Katherine Curi-Quinto, Javier Escobal, Dianela Espinoza, Monica Lizama, , Vanessa Rojas, Alan Sanchez
Niños del Milenio, conocido internacionalmente como Young Lives, es una investigación de largo plazo que estudia cómo cambian la pobreza y las oportunidades de niñas, niños y jóvenes en países de ingresos bajos y medios. Durante más de dos décadas, el estudio ha seguido de cerca a dos grupos en el Perú: quienes tenían alrededor […]
-
Towards Comprehensive Care Systems for Gender Equity in Latin America: Evidence and Lessons from the Collaborative Research-Action Fund
2025 Lorena Alcazar, Carolina Robino, Vanessa Rojas
In 2023, the Collaborative Research-Action Fund was launched to promote care policies and systems in Latin America and the Caribbean. Its purpose is to generate rigorous and applied evidence to build or sustain public care policies. It is based on partnerships among governments, academia, and civil society, with a feminist approach. The Fund is funded […]
-
Edutainment, Savings and Empowerment in Rural Areas of Peru
2025 Alberto Chong, Martin Valdivia
This paper presents the results of a randomized five-episode soap opera that promotes prosavings attitudes, trust in financial institutions and female empowerment among women from poor, rural areas of the Peruvian highlands. Using administrative bank data, the results show a significant increase in savings balances 1.5 and 2 years after the intervention concluded, as well […]
-
Gender Gaps in the Performance of Small Firms: Evidence from Urban Peru
2025 Bledi Celiku, Diego Ubfal, Martin Valdivia
Este documento estima la brecha de género en el rendimiento de las empresas en Perú utilizando datos representativos tanto de empresas formales como informales. En promedio, las empresas informales dirigidas por mujeres tienen menores ventas, productividad laboral y beneficios en comparación con sus homólogas dirigidas por hombres, con diferencias más pronunciadas cuando se controlan los […]
-
Salud mental juvenil en crisis: Cuando la pandemia amplifica desigualdades estructurales
2025 Vanessa Rojas, Elaine C. Flores
The covid-19 pandemic had a severe effect on the mental health of vulnerable young women in Peru, exacerbating symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress. This qualitative study, based on the lived experience approach, analyses the trajectories of two young Peruvian women – one from a rural and one from an urban context – participants in […]
-
The effects of the covid-19 pandemic on the subjective well-being of rural and urban young people in Peru
2024
This report is a summary of a longer report published in Spanish and available on the Niños del Milenio website here. Niños del Milenio/Young Lives has followed children through to young adulthood in Peru, including understanding how their perceptions of their well-being have changed over time. Using qualitative data from 2 birth cohorts, aged 21- 22 […]
-
¿A costa de qué?: el estado de emergencia en el Callao y su impacto de corto y largo plazo sobre la seguridad ciudadana, la violencia familiar y el bienestar social
2024
In Peru, the declaration of a state of emergency (EE) has become a common and widely requested public policy measure to address the crime problem. Recently, the government declared the EE in several districts, including San Juan de Lurigancho and San Martin de Porres in Lima, and Sullana in Piura (DS 105-2023-PCM) (El Comercio, 25/9/2023), […]
-
Unveiling barriers to women’s access to decent work in Peru
2024
Peru suffers from a serious gender inequality problem in the labor market that cannot be understood by considering employment rates alone. Rather, it is also necessary to analyze the conditions under which women participate in the labor market. This study seeks to identify economic, legal, and socio-cultural barriers that women face in accessing decent employment. […]
-
Edutainment, savings, and generational differences in rural areas of Peru
2023
We wrote, produced, and implemented a randomized five-episode soap opera on financial inclusion targeted to women from poor, rural areas ravaged by terrorism in Peru. We go beyond measuring attitudes and perceptions but observe actual savings accounts using bank data. Older women, those who directly suffered from terrorist violence, respond very well and save more […]
-
Soap operas and pro-savings attitudes in poor rural areas of Peru.
2023
We wrote, produced, and implemented a randomized intervention of a five-episode soap opera focusing on attitudes related to trust and savings. It was shown to females living in poor and violence-scarred rural areas and who received the national conditional cash transfer. We find that one year after the intervention treated females significantly improve their attitudes […]
-
JournalJournal of Health Economics
A drop of love? Rainfall shocks and spousal abuse: Evidence from rural Peru
2023
We investigate whether exposure to rainfall shocks affects the experience of physical intimate partner violence (P-IPV) among women in rural areas of the Peruvian Andes. Using data from the Demographic and Health Surveys over 2005–2014, we track changes in the probability that a woman experiences recent instances of P-IPV after being exposed to a rainfall […]
-
JournalEconomic Development and Cultural Change
(Un)Conditional love in the time of conditional cash transfers: the effect of the Peruvian JUNTOS program on spousal abuse
2022
Cash transfer programs often target women as the recipient of the money. Unintentionally, this flow of unearned income may reduce spousal abuse. We investigate this possibility by assessing the Peruvian JUNTOS program. We exploit the staggered timing in the rollout of the program across municipalities along with its eligibility rule for determining participation to perform […]
-
JournalAnxiety and Stress
Fear of COVID-19 Scale: Adaptation and psychometric properties in Peruvian population
2021
Current context caused by COVID-19 has changed social and day-to-day life worldwide. Mental health is no exception. The objective of this study was to adapt and analyze the psychometric properties of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) in a sample of Peruvian professionals.
-
JournalCriminology & Criminal Justice
Does context matter? Examining robbery reporting in a high crime country
2021
Most empirical studies that examine why individuals report property crimes to the police have focused on Global North countries where crime rates are low. This study is situated in the most violent area of the world, Latin America, and examines Peru, which has the highest robbery victimization rate in the Americas. This article examines the […]
-
JournalJournal of Interpersonal Violence
Bullying victimization among peruvian children: the predictive role of parental maltreatment
2021
Bullying among schoolchildren is increasingly being recognized as a major problem. Although previous studies have examined parental maltreatment as a risk factor for bullying, the evidence on this topic remains limited in Latin America. The aim of this study was then to measure the prevalence of bullying victimization among a nationally representative sample of Peruvian […]
-
Breaking the Silence. Why do Young Women in Peru Marry or Cohabit at a Young Age, and What are the Consequences?
Dreaming of a Better Life Child Marriage Through Adolescent Eyes2020
On the basis of qualitative data, the chapter shows how different factors lead young women to start cohabitation or marriage before adulthood. Through the experiences of three women who began cohabitation before the age of 18 in Peru, the authors show what life is like for them, the inequities in the power relations they face […]
-
Criminal Legalities in the Global South. Cultural Dynamics, Political Tensions, and Institutional Practices
Criminal Legalities in the Global South: Cultural dynamics, political tensions and institutional practices2019
In Peru, corruption is widespread. Under the intention of addressing the problem of corruption, the justice system reacted by creating a specialized sub judicial system, which accompanied the introduction of a new Criminal Procedure Code that allowed less bureaucratic oral criminal proceedings. While these changes promised justice and efficiency, in this chapter it is argued […]
-
Oportunidades y barreras en la trayectoria de las científicas sociales peruanas
Desigualdad en la academia: mujeres en las ciencias sociales2018
This chapter is part of these efforts and is the result of the Grupo Sofía’s agenda, which aims to deepen the analysis of the disparities between women’s and men’s experiences in the academic labour market in the social sciences. Specifically, we analyse the opportunities and barriers faced by Peruvian women social scientists during their academic […]
-
El entorno de la investigación social en el Perú
Desigualdad en la academia: mujeres en las ciencias sociales2018
In Peru there are important coincidences with the findings of this literature, but there are also particularities that can be explained by what we can describe as the precarious environment in which academic research is developed in the country, an environment that deepens some gender inequalities that are also raised in this book.
-
¿Cómo abordar el estudio de las inequidades de género en el mundo académico?
Desigualdad en la academia: mujeres en las ciencias sociales2018
This first chapter seeks to situate readers of this book in this shared conceptual approach to the problem of gender inequalities in academia. To this, we present a brief discussion of how we approach regimes of inequality in academia and research, and the main contributions of the international literature on how differences between women and […]
-
Bienestar subjetivo y covid-19 en jóvenes rurales y urbanos del Perú
2024
Since 2007, the Young Lives in Peru study has been collecting the voices of children – today youth or young adults – regarding their perceptions of well-being throughout the life cycle. In recent years, and as a consequence of the pandemic, youth – in both rural and urban areas – have faced extraordinary challenges in […]
-
Redes sociales y ciberviolencia en las relaciones sexoafectivas entre adolescentes
2024
The study on which this paper is based examines the role of social networks in the experiences of cyber-violence in sex-affective relationships among adolescents in an educational institution in San Juan de Lurigancho (Lima, Peru). The findings suggest that certain characteristics of these platforms favor the continuity of gender-based violence in digital environments. Adolescent discourses […]
-
Pantallazo a la violencia de género: Redes sociales y ciberviolencia en relaciones sexo-afectivas entre adolescentes
2024
This document presents the main findings and policy recommendations of the study “Screenshot to gender-based violence: Social networks and cyber-violence in sex-affective relationships among adolescents”. The research was the winner of the Research Contest “Prevention of Gender Violence in Peru”, co-organized by the Consortium for Economic and Social Research (CIES) and the Gender Studies Research Group of […]
-
Abordando los estereotipos de género y políticas públicas para facilitar el acceso a un trabajo decente en las mujeres en el Perú
2023
A pesar de años de esfuerzos promoviendo la igualdad de género y cierto progreso, la desigualdad laboral entre mujeres y hombres persiste en el Perú. En 2022, un equipo de investigadores del PEP (Partnership for Economic Policy) analizó los factores detrás de esta persistente brecha y, más específicamente, las barreras que impiden el acceso de […]
-
Estrategias de cuidado infantil en familias vulnerables peruanas: Evidencia cualitativa de Niños del Milenio
2021
El análisis de las percepciones de niños y niñas, y de las diversas situaciones que enfrentan familias urbanas y rurales que participan en el estudio cualitativo longitudinal Niños del Milenio (NdM), muestra que el cuidado infantil es una actividad familiar y femenina. Además, la precariedad económica en la que viven estos niños los expone a […]
-
Towards an inclusive and sustainable development in Latin America: dialogue between research and public policies
2016
Esta publicación es resultado del seminario internacional Hacia un Desarrollo Inclusivo y Sostenible en América Latina: Diálogos entre Investigación y Políticas Públicas, organizado por el Grupo de Análisis para el Desarrollo (GRADE) y el Instituto de Estudios Peruanos (IEP), el 25 y 26 de junio de 2014. Representa un esfuerzo de recopilación de lo más relevante y valioso […]
-
Measuring the sustainable development agenda in Peru
2016
In 2012, the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development pledged that governments will propose a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the post-2015 period. The SDGs – agreed to in September 2015 – replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which expire in the same year. The SDGs take into consideration positive experiences from the MDGs and […]
-
En cancha ajena: la participación ciudadana a través de los Consejos Nacionales
2015
The main objective of this research is to analyze their institutional models as well as to reflect on the role played by citizen participation as a factor of democratic governance through the National Councils.
-
Estudio Especializado sobre Población Afroperuana (EEPA)
2015Martín Benavides, Juan Leon,
Sorry, this entry is only available in Español.
-
América Latina hacia la inclusión social. Avances, aprendizajes y desafíos
2014, , , , , Gerardo Damonte, Manuel Glave, , , ,
Sorry, this entry is only available in Español.
-
(Un)Conditional Love in the Time of Conditional Cash Transfers: The Effect of the Peruvian JUNTOS Program on Spousal Abuse
2020
Cash Transfer programs often target women as the recipient of the money. Unintentionally, this flow of unearned income may reduce spousal abuse. Researchers investigate this possibility by assessing the Peruvian JUNTOS program. They exploit the staggered timing in the rollout of the program across municipalities along with its eligibility rule for determining participation to perform a difference-in-differences […]
-
Prevalencia de delitos en la población penal peruana: desorganización social versus aprendizaje social
2018
The aim of the study is to identify the main factors that influence a person commits a type of crime. We will focus on two theories: social learning and social disorganization, comparing each other to determine which one is more important. A second objective is to study how crime’s main drivers and gender relate to […]
-
Derechos humanos y gobernabilidad democrática: oportunidades para la cooperación canadiense en el Perú
2009
This study has two central objectives. The first is to offer an overview of the human rights situation in the country, and of the public policies that protect and promote them. In particular, attention has been paid to the scenarios related to the transitional justice process (in terms of the guidelines of the Truth and […]
-
Procesos y productos de justicia transicional: los aportes de la Comisión de la Verdad y la Reconciliación a la transición peruana
2008
This paper attempts, in the first place, to situate itself within an emerging theoretical perspective, derived from legal sociology, the so-called sociology of human rights. Its main characteristic is to approach human rights as social phenomena, analyzing their genesis, formation and positioning in the public agenda as moral, legal and political demands. Specifically, we will […]
Projects
- Community participation in the prevention of gender-based violence: The case of the Red de Lideresas Justa of the Justa Project, Villa El Salvador for Justice and Equality of the UNDPNovember 2020
- SMS against violence during the pandemicNovember 2020
- Social protection and indigenous peoplesSeptember 2020
- Analysis of the PNUD gender salary gapSeptember 2020
- The coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the economic autonomy of womenApril 2020
- Access to the educational system: Factors that facilitate or limit access to migrant children and adolescentsDecember 2019
- Indicators for the Results-Oriented Budget Program on violence against womenDecember 2019
- Mainstreaming information gathering on ethnicity to improve minority access to education: the case of Afro-descendant girlsSeptember 2019
- Factors associated with partner violence against women: a departmental approach based on patterns of victimizationJune 2019
- Evaluation of the police intervention against complaints of violence against women: Experimental evaluation of the Home Visitation Program of the National Police of PeruJune 2019
News
-
Wilson Hernández: “The conviction to leave the criminal life is often not natural, but activated by triggers”
October 25, 2024 Ethnicity, gender and citizenship
“The conviction to leave the criminal life is often not natural, but is usually activated by triggers. According to studies, one may be getting a stable job. Another is getting married or having children and starting to think not only for oneself, but also for others. Another is taking away leisure time from teenagers in […]
-
International Day of the Girl: selection of recent free access titles
October 11, 2024 Education and learning, Ethnicity, gender and citizenship, State reform and public institutions
Las experiencias de las niñas en sus propias vidas muestran la importancia de proporcionar entornos seguros, no violentos, inclusivos y eficaces hacia un futuro en el que puedan desarrollar todo su potencial. En el Día Internacional de la Niña, compartimos algunos títulos recientes de nuestras investigadores e investigadores. Varios de estos estudios muestran que, a […]
-
Ojo Público reports Wilson Hernández’s thoughts on the insecurity crisis on the streets
October 9, 2024 Ethnicity, gender and citizenship
Sorry, this entry is only available in Español.
-
Wilson Hernandez shares his opinion on the urban terrorism bill. Via Epicentro TV
October 7, 2024 Ethnicity, gender and citizenship
“Between the extreme measures there is a large gray space where we can move with more clever proposals. It is there where police intelligence has a much better chance of being able to identify groups linked to extortion and dismantle them”. Our Adjunct Researcher Wilson Hernández talked to journalist Daniel Yovera of Epicentro TV about […]
-
Wilson Hernandez shares his thoughts on the new state of emergency declared by the government
September 30, 2024 Ethnicity, gender and citizenship
Once the emergency measure ends, “crime returns to normal”, according to Wilson Hernandez, Adjunct Researcher at GRADE, regarding the new state of emergency declared by the government to address citizen insecurity. Wilson is one of the authors of the study ¿A costa de qué?: Impacto de corto y mediano plazo de los estados de emergencia […]
Events
-
Vanessa Rojas will be a speaker at a National Institute of Mental Health “HD – HN” meeting
09/06/2025 10:00 am - 11:30 am Ethnicity, gender and citizenship
Our Senior Research and coordinator of the qualitative component of the Young Lives study Vanessa Rojas will be a speaker at the meeting Mental health today: innovation, evidence and action in the face of new challenges, held by the National Institute of Mental Health “Honorio Delgado – Hideyo Noguchi”, from June 9 to 13. Vanessa […]
-
First Annual Meeting of the Network of Think Tanks of the Americas (CEPAS)
16/05/2025 10:00am (hora Perú) Salón de Honor, Casa Central UC (Av. Libertador Bernardo O’Higgins 340, Piso 2, Santiago de Chile) Employment, productivity and innovation, Ethnicity, gender and citizenship
The First Annual Meeting of the Network of Think Tanks of the Americas (CEPAS) will bring together leading experts from Latin American think tanks to discuss two regional challenges. The meeting will feature a keynote address by CEPAS President Felipe Larraín, followed by a keynote presentation by economist Jeffrey Sachs. This will be followed by […]
-
GRADE researchers join the XXXV Annual CIES 2024 Research Seminar
11/12/2024 → 13/12/2024 UPC San Isidro Urbanization and sustainable cities, Ethnicity, gender and citizenship, Poverty and equality
Del 11 al 13 de diciembre, investigadoras e investigadores de GRADE serán expositores, comentaristas y moderadores en el XXXV Seminario Anual de Investigación CIES 2024. El evento, organizado por el Consorcio de Investigación Económica y Social (CIES) de manera híbrida, abordará el tema “Retos y perspectivas del Perú y América Latina: inversión, sostenibilidad y cohesión social”. A continuación, […]
-
GRADE’s researchers are speakers at the international seminar for the 60th anniversary of the Faculty of Social Sciences at PUCP
20/08/2024 → 23/08/2024 Campus de la PUCP Ethnicity, gender and citizenship, Natural resources, extractive industries and social conflict
Our researchers are participating as speakers at the international seminar “60 years of dialogues and development with Peru”, organized by the School of Social Sciences of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru in the framework of its 60 anniversary. On the first day, during the opening of the event, Juan León, senior researcher at GRADE, […]
-
Public event Building care systems from the territories in Latin America and the Caribbean: Evidence from the Program “Partnerships for Change in the Care Economy”.
28/05/2024 5:00 pm - 8:30 pm Auditorio de la Universidad de Cartagena, Cartagena de Indias, Colombia Ethnicity, gender and citizenship
Aunque se han producido importantes avances para promover la transformación de la economía del cuidado en América Latina y el Caribe, aún existe poca evidencia sobre sus impactos y aprendizajes. Para compartir los avances y desafíos de los sistemas de cuidados en la región, con especial foco en Colombia, la Universidad de Cartagena, el Ministerio […]
- Education and Learning
- Employment, Productivity and Innovation
- Rural Development and Agriculture
- Ethnicity, Gender and Citizenship
- Methodologies for Research and Evaluation of Policy and Programmes
- Poverty and Equity
- Natural Resources, Extractive Industries and Social Conflict
- State Reform and Public Institutions
- Health and Nutrition
- Urbanization and Sustainable Cities






