Tuesday, October 23, 2018
"Nearly three in four survivors (73 percent) of intimate partner violence report that they stayed with an abusive partner longer than they wanted or returned to them for economic reasons, according to the findings of a new survey released today by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR). IWPR surveyed 164 survivors (nearly all women), finding:
- Disrupted Education: Two-thirds of respondents say their partner’s behavior negatively affected their educational and job training opportunities. One survivor said, 'He would show up at my school and physically remove me from class or lie and say one of my kids is in the hospital. He would also quit his job to make me get another job so I have to drop out of school. He would also delete my homework or mess up my study time by waking up the kids and leave so I would have to attend to my kids instead of studying or he would mess my computer up so I would not be able to access my work and notes for school.'
- Diminished Ability to Work: 83 percent said abusive partners disrupted their ability to work. Of these,70 percent were not able to have a job, and 53 percent lost a job because of the abuse. 'I was not allowed to work for 12 years for more than an odd job here and there. I can’t even begin to start listing lost opportunities.'
- Workplace Sexual Harassment on Top of Partner Abuse: Many (39 percent) survivors had also experienced sexual harassment or violence at work from a co-worker or supervisor.
- Financial Abuse and Damage to Credit: About three in four respondents (73 percent) had abusers take money from them against their will, such as their paycheck, savings, or public benefits. Three in five respondents had their credit score harmed; of these, 66 percent said it prevented them from getting a loan and 63 percent said it prevented them from getting housing. 'Everything financial currently seems to revolve around my ex and the control he still seems to have over my life even though we have no direct contact.'
- Reproductive Coercion: Four in 10 survivors said they had a partner who tried to get them pregnant against their will or stopped them from using birth control. Among these survivors, 84 percent became pregnant. Unplanned pregnancy can negatively affect women’s ability to establish economic security by diminishing their educational and work opportunities and generating costs associated with raising a child."
