This brief reports on research undertaken in Bougainville in October 2015. Unlike previous studies, this research specifically explored the relationship between women’s economic empowerment and violence against women through in-depth qualitative interviews. Interviewees included businesswomen in the urban context of Arawa (Kieta District) and rural women involved in informal marketing and alluvial mining (Panguna District) and in informal marketing and cocoa farming (Tinputz District). Preliminary analysis reveals a strong connection between men’s excessive alcohol consumption and violence against their intimate partners.