Women who suffer domestic violence fare much worse financially after separating from their partner

Two reports by Bruce Chapman, Anne Summers, and Matthew Taylor highlighted the devastating financial consequences borne by women who leave their partners after suffering domestic violence. They found women who experienced domestic violence fared much worse financially after separating from their partner compared to those who didn’t face such violence, for women both with and without children.

Before separation, mothers who experienced domestic violence had about the same household income as mothers who didn’t. But after separation, the mothers who experienced domestic violence on average suffered a significantly higher drop in income of 34%, compared with a 20% decrease for mothers who didn’t experience domestic violence.

It’s the first time in Australia (to the best of their knowledge) that they have specific data on what happens financially to these women. The results highlight the terrible option facing those who are experiencing domestic violence: to stay in a violent relationship, or leave and face a major decline in financial wellbeing.

Read article in The Conversation