Top 10 Reasons Why Women’s Perpetration of Intimate Partner Violence Is an Important Area of Inquiry

Abstract

Women's perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV) has been an extremely controversial topic. In this article, the author discusses 10 reasons why it is critically important to study women's use of IPV. The prevalence and motivation of women's use of IPV are discussed, as well as the psychopathology typically found in clinical samples of female IPV perpetrators. Consequences of women's IPV for victims, for romantic relationships, for witnessing children, and for the female perpetrators themselves are reviewed. Evidence points to the importance of research on this topic and the urgent need for effective prevention and intervention programs for women's perpetration of IPV.

Sexist Discrimination and Women’s Use of Intimate Partner Aggression: Results From a Nationally Representative Sample of Women

“…Studies have indicated that women who engage in IPA often report severe and traumatic experiences of sexist discrimination in the form of gender-based violence (Fortunata & Kohn, 2003; Hamberger & Larsen, 2015; Leisring, 2011; Morrison et al, 2007). The term gender-based violence refers to traumatic events (e.g., sexual assault, rape, interpersonal violence) that are experienced at greater rates by individuals with oppressed gender identities and that reinforce patriarchal structures (Heise et al, 1999).…”

“…The term gender-based violence refers to traumatic events (e.g., sexual assault, rape, interpersonal violence) that are experienced at greater rates by individuals with oppressed gender identities and that reinforce patriarchal structures (Heise et al, 1999). Research suggests that the vast majority of women receiving treatment for using IPA have experienced interpersonal traumas, including IPA victimization, witnessing IPA as a child, sexual assault, and other violent crime victimization (Leisring, 2011; Miles-McLean et al, 2019; Swan et al, 2018). In fact, some evidence indicates that women receiving treatment for IPA report higher levels of sexual assault than women receiving treatment for IPA victimization (Abel, 2001).…”

“…Women’s use of intimate partner aggression (IPA) is similar in prevalence to men’s (Archer, 2000; Carney et al, 2007; Desmarais et al, 2012; Straus & Gelles, 1996), with estimated lifetime prevalence rates of 31.5% and past-year rates of 28.6% (Desmarais et al, 2012). Research indicates that women of diverse ages, races/ethnicities, and sexual orientations engage in IPA (Archer, 2000; Carney et al, 2007; Edwards et al, 2015; Hines & Douglas, 2009; Williams et al, 2008) and that it does not always occur in the context of IPA victimization (Leisring, 2011; Neal & Edwards, 2018; Straus, 1980). However, there are important differences between women and men’s use of IPA.…”

“…The need to conceptualize women’s IPA in light of the broader sociocultural context of patriarchy and gender-based violence is further highlighted by differences in women’s use of and experiences of IPA relative to men. For example, research documents that women in IPA treatment frequently report experiences of gender-based violence (Hamberger & Larsen, 2015; Leisring, 2011) and mental health symptoms (Leisring, 2011; Spencer et al, 2019), indicating that it may be important to tailor IPA treatment to these clinical needs. Women are also frequently socialized not to express anger or discontent, with research suggesting that this can contribute to anger being communicated in ineffective and aggressive ways (Jack, 2001).…”

Elucidating Posttraumatic Stress Symptom Profiles and Their Correlates Among Women Experiencing Bidirectional Intimate Partner Violence

“…Therefore, it is essential to examine posttraumatic stress among this highly prevalent but understudied population. Doing so may enhance the representativeness and generalizability of findings and their implications for future research and interventions (Leisring, ).…”