We continue International Education Week, with a spotlight on UT Social Work alum Deidi Olaya (MSSW ‘14), who was awarded the 2024 Mariam K. Chamberlain Dissertation Award by the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW). The award honors Olaya’s innovative research on the intersection of gender norms, bargaining power, and intimate partner violence (IPV) across Latin America.

Olaya’s dissertation — “Bargaining Power, Gender Norms, and Intimate Partner Violence: An Examination of Latin American Countries” — explores how women’s employment and male gender attitudes shape experiences of IPV in Colombia, Peru, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the George Warren Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

“I wanted to study whether economic power has an indirect effect on IPV through bargaining power,” Olaya explained. “And I also looked at how male gender attitudes and community-level norms moderate that relationship.”

UT Austin: A Launchpad for Research and Leadership

Olaya’s research journey began at UT Austin, where she earned her MSSW and later served as a research fellow and, later, project director at the Institute on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault (IDVSA). There, she led the 2015 statewide sexual assault prevalence study in Texas and contributed to projects on campus sexual assault and untested sexual assault kits.

“UT gave me hands-on experience in research,” she said. “I helped design and lead statewide studies, and saw how data can drive policy and programming. That experience prepared me for the advanced statistical work I’m doing now.”

She credits mentors like Dr. Noel Busch-Armendariz, UT Social Work associate dean for global engagement, and Dr. Luis Zayas, now provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, for shaping her path. “Noel was an incredible mentor,” Olaya said. “She gave me the opportunity to oversee research from start to finish — designing questions, collecting data, drafting reports. That foundation was essential for my dissertation.”

From Texas to Colombia: Translating Research Into Action

Between her master’s and doctoral work, Olaya applied her research skills with Casa de la Mujer, UN Women, and Conservation International, focusing on women’s political participation, violence prevention, and the Colombian peace agreement. Her commitment to gender justice is grounded in years of direct service and policy advocacy.

“I’ve worked at every level — from training workshops with women to influencing public policy,” she said. “My passion is preventing violence and advancing gender equality.”

Looking Ahead: Research That Informs Policy

Olaya hopes her work will inform policies that reduce violence and promote gender equity across Latin America and beyond. “I want to keep building on this work by examining how economic, social, and political empowerment can reduce violence and eventually translate this research into policy analysis that helps shift norms and improve lives.”