The vast majority of adult victims of domestic violence are women.1
In 91-95% of all documented reports of adult domestic violence the victims are women abused by their male partners. About 1-2% is physical abuse of men by their female partners. Intimate violence, however, is not limited to heterosexual relationships. The rate of violence in gay and lesbian relationships is estimated to be about the same as in heterosexual couples (around 20-30%), accounting for about 3-8% of the total number of documented reports. While there may be under reporting of domestic violence by gay and lesbian victims and by men abused by their female partners, it is also estimated that fewer than one in ten cases of women abused by male partners is reported.
Every woman is at risk for becoming a victim of domestic violence.2
Domestic violence happens regardless of socio-economic status, race, ethnicity, age, education, employment status, physical ableness, marital status, or childhood history. In fact, being female is the only significant risk factor for being a victim of adult domestic violence.
Batterers use emotional, psychological, economic and physical abuse as a way of controlling their intimate partners. Abuse is not caused by stress, anger or alcohol/other drug involvement.
Many people find it difficult to understand why men batter. So, when batterers say that they "lost their temper," "had a bad day at work," or were "drunk and out of control," these explanations are often accepted by others. But battering has much more to do with a man's attitudes and beliefs about how men and women should relate in intimate relationships than it has to do with the common excuses given by batterers. In general, batterers believe that they have a right to enforce their will on their female partners. It is this belief, coupled with society's tolerance of domestic violence, that is at the root of domestic violence.
Domestic violence is a serious crime which often results in serious injury and even death.
In the United States, battering is the major cause of injury to women ged 14-45, causing more injuries than auto accidents, muggings and rapes combined.3 One third of reported domestic violence assaults involve the use of a weapon and/or result in serious bodily injury.4 In addition, almost 25% of pregnant women seeking prenatal care have been battered during pregnancy.5 Of all female victims of homicide in the U.S., 30% are killed by husbands or boyfriends, a total of almost 1,500 women each year.6
The majority of men who batter their female partners are also abusive to their children.7
Between 50-70% of men who abuse their female partners also physically abuse their children. The abuse of children is generally less severe than the abuse of the female partner, but as the violence against the partner gets worse, the child abuse also gets worse. There is also a high correlation between men who abuse their female partners and those who sexually abuse female children.
Children from families in which there is adult domestic violence often suffer negative consequences, even if they are not the direct targets of abuse.8
Children who witness their mothers being abused by their fathers often exhibit health problems, sleeping difficulties, anxiety, acting out behavior, and feelings of guilt, fear and powerlessness. They are at high risk for alcohol and drug use, teen pregnancy, homelessness, and suicide. Research suggests that there is an increased risk for boys who grow up in homes in which there is domestic violence to perpetrate domestic violence in their adult intimate relationships. Despite popular belief, girls who grow up in these families are not at increased risk for being victimized as adults because of their childhood history. The primary risk factor for being a victim is simply being female.