  This paper evaluates the effectiveness of femicide laws in combating
gender-based killings of women, a major cause of premature female mortality
globally. Focusing on Mexico, a pioneer in adopting such legislation, the paper
leverages variations in the enactment of femicide laws and associated prison
sentences across states. Using the difference-in-difference estimator, the
analysis reveals that these laws have not significantly affected the incidence
of femicides, homicides of women, or reports of women who have disappeared.
These findings remain robust even when accounting for differences in prison
sentencing, whether states also implemented unilateral divorce laws, or
decriminalized abortion alongside femicide legislation. The results suggest
that legislative measures are insufficient to address violence against women in
settings where impunity prevails.
