Press releases of Europa-Universität Flensburg (EUF)
Economic Hardship Increases Risk of Violence Against Women in Partnerships
[Translate to 2-Englisch:]
Sociologists Dr. Ruth Abramowski from the University of Bremen’s SOCIUM Research Center on Inequality and Social Policy and Dr. Lara Minkus from the Europa-Universität Flensburg show in a new randomized study that the lack of financial and material resources presents a significant risk factor for violence in couples, particularly for women. “The results confirm what theories on power relations and international studies already suggested,” explains Abramowski.
Data: 1,667 women
The study is based on data from the German family panel pairfam. Data was evaluated from 1,667 women who separated from their partner since the last interview. In the context of all observed separations, eleven percent (more than one in ten) reported physical confrontations. Women who were unemployed or were worried about their financial stability were particularly at risk of physical violence.
The way a person perceives their own financial position also plays a role. “Women who were very dissatisfied with their household finances reported violence at a significantly higher rate than women who were very satisfied. The risk increases when women see their financial situation as burdensome,” Abramowski points out.
Women with Children Particularly at Risk
Women with children are particularly at risk, as Minkus explains. “Whereas women without children were significantly less likely to report violence, the risk was about ten percentage points higher for mothers with one child.” This rises even more for those with two or more children (13 percentage points).
In addition to the academic relevance, the authors also emphasized the political consequences. “Targeted efforts for financial support can prevent violence. We need measures that reduce financial dependence and empower women,” says Abramowski. The study “Economic deprivation and intimate partner violence in Germany” was published in the academic journal PLOS One.
pairfam Database
The pairfam relationship and family panel (Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics) was a multidisciplinary, longitudinal study for researching couple and family dynamics in Germany. Over 12,000 people from many birth years have been annually surveyed since 2008 as part of a cooperation project between the University of Bremen, the Ludwig-Maximilian-Universität München (LMU), the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, and the University of Cologne.
More Information
Minkus, L. & Abramowski, R. (2025): Economic deprivation and intimate partner violence in Germany. PLOS One. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0329930
Dr. Lara Minkus
Europa-Universität Flensburg
Tel.: +49 461/ 805 2325
E-Mail: lara.minkus-PleaseRemoveIncludingDashes-@uni-flensburg.de
Dr. Ruth Abramowski
SOCIUM Forschungszentrum Ungleichheit und Sozialpolitik
Universität Bremen
Tel.: +49 421/218-58550
E-Mail: ruth.abramowski-PleaseRemoveIncludingDashes-@uni-bremen.de
