Previous literature indicates that women, young adults and those less educated are at higher risk for intimate partner violence (IPV). The present study examines the impact of gender, age, and education on exposure to IPV.
In an online survey, 114 participants (82 females, 32 males, mean age =32) were presented with 22 different scenarios of physical, verbal, emotional, and sexual and proprietary abuse, and were asked to state whether they had experience or knew someone who had experienced the different types of IPV. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the extent to which gender, age and education level predicted the different types of IPV. Only sexual victimization was predicted y gender and education level. Specifically, females and those with higher levels of education reported greater exposure to sexual abuse. We will discuss how changing demographics, such as the increasing proportion of women compared to men enrolled in college and the declining marriage rates, may contribute to the changing incidents of IPV being reported. We will also discuss how women’s higher educational career aspirations have had an impact on the changing gender roles, which may in turn contribute to changes in women’s experience of intimate partner violence.
