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Elevated Risk for Violence Against Cohabiting Women: A Comparison of Three Nationally Representative Surveys of Canada

NCJ Number
223521
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 14 Issue: 7 Dated: July 2008 Pages: 809-832
Author(s)
Douglas A. Brownridge
Date Published
July 2008
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This study of the elevated risk for violence by male partners against cohabiting female partners compared three nationally representative surveys in Canada.
Abstract
The increased risk for intimate partner violence (IPV) against women in common-law unions compared to married women has declined over time. The odds of violence against a cohabiting female partner in the past 5 years compared with a married female partner declined from 2.6 times higher in 1993 to 1.5 times higher in 2004. Similarly, the relative odds of violence in the past year declined from 4.2 times higher for cohabiting women in 1993 to 2.4 times higher in 2004. The 1999 and 2004 surveys showed that the prevalence rates for violence remained fairly stable for married women, while the prevalence rates were declining for cohabiting women, suggesting that over time Canadian women's risk for violence in cohabiting relationships has approached that of their married counterparts, even while cohabitation among intimate partners has continued to increase in Canada. There were relatively few changes in relationship characteristics across the surveys. Cohabiting women consistently reported unions of shorter duration, higher rates of partner jealousy, sexually possessive behavior, and alcohol abuse by their partners compared with married women. This suggests that cohabiting relationships continue to manifest more factors linked to IPV compared with marital relationships. The data used in this study were from Statistics Canada's 1993 Violence Against Women Survey and cycles 13 (1999) and 18 (2004) of the General Social Survey. All of the surveys measured violence by husbands and common-law partners with 10 behavior items from a modified version of the Conflict Tactics Scales. 6 tables, 11 notes, and 41 references