Intersection of Economic and other Forms of Women Abuse
Luna Cui
Southern Methodist University
Intersection of Economic and other Forms of Women Abuse
Economic abuse is a form of domestic violence that is prevalent in many societies. While other forms of abuse have gained widespread media coverage, economic abuse go largely unreported because of its subtle manner of expression. The intersection between economic abuse and other forms of human rights abuse is most notable in the dependency of victims on their abusers. Poor women are forced to endure the abuse they suffer at the hands of abusers because they rely almost entirely on the abusers for their upkeep. Although studies by Davila, Johnson and Postmus (2017) indicate that women in intimate relationships suffer abuse regardless of their economic status, the severity and frequency of human rights abuse among women is most pronounced among the indigent women. The fight for human rights among women can only be successful when women are empowered economically to limit their dependency on abusive partners.
There is a direct relationship between economic abuse and other forms of abuse against women. Stylianou et al. (2013) defined economic abuse as encompassing strategies used to adversely affect the ability of women to work and gain self-sufficiency. These strategies usually aim at discouraging women to work and may lead to reprimand at the workplace or in the worst case scenario force women to resign or get sacked (Davila et al., 2017). Economic abuse against women often present through three separate constructs namely employment sabotage, economic exploitation, and economic control. Economic control refers to the abuser’s propensity to restrict the ability of the woman to use her resources or those of the family freely. On the other hand, sabotage entails action that blocked employment opportunities for the woman. It may also be a form of restricting the woman from accessing resources that are economically beneficial (Davila et al., 2017). The economic exploitation entails actions designed to deplete resources or existing funds and create a situation in which the woman would be forced to incur debts for self-sustenance. Physical abusers may intentionally deplete the woman’s resources to ensure that the woman is limited in the options she can take to remedy her situation (Sanders, 2015). The consequence of the economic abuse will be seen in the prolonged violation of the woman’s other rights. These can manifest through physical battery, psychological abuse, and sexual abuse.
Research conducted by Stylianou, Postmus, and McMahon (2013) showed that there is a close relationship between economic violence and other forms of violence and abuse against women. In a research involving 457 women survivors of abuse in the United States, he authors discovered that 75.8% of women who experienced other forms of physical or psychological abuse were also subjected to economic abuse. The economic abuse manifested through the partner who also happened to be the abuser dictating and monitoring how the victims of economic violation used their resources of common family resources (Sanders, 2015). The monitoring of the resources was made in an attempt to ensure that the woman had no means to exit the abusive relationship. The research findings by Stylianou et al. (2013) concluded that while there are several strategies that abusers of women chose to exploit their victims, economic abuse was common across nearly 80% of all cases. Over 1.5 million women in the United States are known to suffer from physical and sexual abuse at the hands of their intimate partners each year with a majority suffering economic abuse as well.
The close relationship between economic abuse and other forms of abuse against women transcends geographical boundaries. In a study carried out by Adams, Sullivan, Bybee, and Greeson (2011) in Australia, women were shown to be most vulnerable when they were economically dependent on their abusive husbands or intimate partners. The survey showed that in a population of 17,050 respondents, the lifetime prevalence of economic abuse across the sample was 11.5%. The victims spanned across various age groups denoting the widespread economic abuse among women. More significantly, women who were likely to experience some form of economic abuse was reported at 15.7% which was far greater than any other form of abusive committed separately. The risk of economic abuse was most probable when the victim was disabled, had health complications or was going through financial stress (Sanders, 2015). These figures compare moderately with statistics in the United States and other countries. For example, Adams et al. (2011) concluded that 13.4% of women in the United States endured various forms of lifetime prevalence rates of economic abuse, 3% in Canada, and 44.5% among Palestinian women. Regardless of the geographical location, economic abuse was closely related with other forms of intimate partner violence. Economic abuse among women who seek help from domestic violence was estimated to be as high as 99% (Adams et al., 2011). Similarly, economic abuse was also related with higher frequency of abuse against women in intimate relationships.
It is evident that there is a direct correlation between economic abuse and other forms of violence against women. The abusers intimate partners often target the economic independence of the women to cripple them financially in a bid to limit their options in exiting the relationships. Women who are financially or economically independent can choose to walk away from the abusive relationships because they can sustain their lifestyles away from abusive partners. However, for the poor women who rely economically on their abusers, the cycle of human rights abuse cannot be easily overcome. They endure battery, psychological torture, sexual violence, and other forms of human rights abuse because they can live without the financial help of their abusers.
Adams, A. E., Sullivan, C. M., Bybee, D., & Greeson, M. R. (2011). Development of the scale of economic abuse. Companion reader on violence against women, 51-74.
Davila, A. L., Johnson, L., & Postmus, J. L. (2017). Examining the relationship between economic abuse and mental health among Latina intimate partner violence survivors in the United States. Journal of interpersonal violence, 0886260517731311.
Sanders, C. K. (2015). Economic abuse in the lives of women abused by an intimate partner: A qualitative study. Violence against women, 21(1), 3-29.
Stylianou, A. M., Postmus, J. L., & McMahon, S. (2013). Measuring abusive behaviors: Is economic abuse a unique form of abuse?. Journal of interpersonal violence, 28(16), 3186-3204.
