Violence in Marriage: Risk Factors and Protection Barriers

• In Event: 082 - Open Refereed Roundtable Session I
  In Refereed Roundtable: A. Table 02. Criminology/Deviance

Abstract

The present study uses Waves 1 and 4 of Add Health to understand how the economic and social circumstances pertaining to “coercive control” as defined by Evan Stark (2007) influence the likelihood that a woman experiences intimate partner violence. The study more specifically seeks to answer how a woman’s social life, measured through the number of close friendship ties, combined with her economic circumstances, including employment and income, influence the likelihood that she experiences intimate partner violence inside the home. The results indicate that a woman’s breadwinner status does not significantly impact intimate partner violence, but that a greater number of friendship ties and a situation of food security significantly decrease the likelihood that a woman experiences abuse. These findings clarify inconsistencies in past literature depicting the connection between breadwinner status and friendship ties with intimate partner violence. The current study has important implications for several domains of research, including violent crime, social networks, gender, and class inequality.

Author

• Ann Fefferman, University of California-Irvine