Women's Experience of Male Violence: Findings from the Australian Component of the International Violence Against Women Survey (IVAWS)

• NCJ Number: 208354
• Author(s): Jenny Mouzos; Toni Makkai
• Date Published: 2004
• Length: 158 pages
• Corporate Author: Australian Institute of Criminology
• Sale Source: Australian Institute of Criminology
• Publication Format: Book (Softbound)
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: Australia
• Note: Australian Institute of Criminology Research and Public Policy Series, No. 56

Annotation

This report provides findings from the International Violence Against Women Survey (IVAWS), conducted in Australia between December 2002 and June 2003.

Abstract

A total of 6,677 Australian women aged 18 through 69 years participated in the IVAWS, which collected information via telephone interview about their experiences of physical and sexual violence at the hands of current and former intimate male partners, other known males, and strangers. The IVAWS includes measures of three distinct types of violence against women: physical, sexual, and psychological. Findings of the survey indicated that during the past 12 months, 10 percent of the respondents reported experiencing at least one incidence of physical (8 percent) or sexual violence (4 percent). Lifetime experience of physical or sexual violence was reported by 57 percent of respondents, with the most common form of physical violence being threats of violence (33 percent). Of the respondents who had current or former intimate partners, over one-third reported experiencing at least one form of violence within the relationship. Several risk factors were associated with current intimate partner physical violence: drinking alcohol, generally high levels of aggression, and controlling behaviors. Two out of five respondents reported experiencing violence from a male other than a partner since the age of 16. Higher levels of violence were experienced from other known males (23 percent), followed by strangers (20 percent), and then relatives (10 percent). Twenty-nine percent of respondents reported experiencing physical or sexual violence before the age of 16; one in five respondents experienced this violence at the hands of a parent. Respondents who experienced childhood abuse were one and a half times more likely to experience violence as adults. Very few respondents reported ever seeking assistance from a specialized agency or the police. Implications for policy are discussed, including the need for early intervention in child abuse cases. Tables, figures, references, appendixes