Men's Rights Agency - Domestic Violence
Aggression in British Heterosexual Relationships: A Descriptive Analysis
Michelle Carrado, M.J. George, Elizabeth Loxam, L. Jones and Dale Templar
3. MORE RESULTS
Relationship Status
Examination of data according to whether respondents were currently married
or cohabiting with a heterosexual partner, as opposed to being single and
dating, was possible. This showed that higher percentages of single dating
women reported sustaining victimization across all relationships than
married/cohabiting women, although rates of experience of sustained victimization
from current partners were more equivalent. On three of the five items across
all relationships, a higher percentage of single dating women than single
dating men reported
victimization.
Figure 1 shows that 10% of single women as opposed to 3% of married or cohabiting women, report ever having experienced being punched or kicked and 14% of single dating women, as opposed to 5% of married and cohabiting women, reported being slapped. These were significant differences (P< .05) which were not evident for reports in current relationships.
For men, no such difference was ascertained between the two relationship status groups, although percentages tended to be higher for single men. For example, 9% of single and dating men and 5% of married and cohabiting men reported ever having been punched or kicked. A significantly higher percentage of married and cohabiting men, than married and cohabiting women, reported sustaining any item of inflicted victimization both in all and current relationships (15% vs. 9%; 11% vs. 4%). Also there was a tendency for a higher percentage of married or cohabiting men to report two or more acts of victimization (e.g. current relationships 5% vs. 1%) whilst for single dating individuals, two or more items of assault were reported almost equally (e.g. current relationships 4% women vs. 3% men). An inference that may be drawn is that women who were married or cohabiting at the time of the survey reported less overall victimization on these items across all their relationships, than single women report, whereas relationship status has little effect on reported victimization for men whether married or cohabiting or single, but dating.
Go back to UK DV Study Introduction/Index page
Go forward to: 3. More Results - Socioeconomic Categories, Age and Geographical Region