It Doesn’t Pay for Women to be the Breadwinner

• In Event: Research on Victim and Offender Risk for Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of gender, income, and socio-economic status on the occurrence of domestic violence and abuse (DVA). In doing so it seeks to test established theories, namely family violence resource theory, feminist relative resource theory, and gendered resource theory. Using self-reported data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (2012-18) these theories were tested through a series of logistic regression models. The findings delineate a positive correlation between increased likelihood of DVA occurrence and circumstances when a female respondent possesses higher income, occupational status, and educational attainment than her male partner. These results were not seen with other sex combinations within romantic relationships. These results suggest the explicative efficacy of relative resource theory, emphasising the salience of status inconsistencies within intimate relationships. The incorporation of masculinity theories alongside feminist frameworks offers complementary insights into the dynamics of DVA and the rationalisations behind its perpetration. This enables researchers and policymakers comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted nature of DVA, thereby informing a more holistic approaches to prevention and intervention strategies.

Author

• Jessica Elizabeth Partridge Bigford, University of Birmingham, UK