Statistic
62%
62% of those injured by a partner are women
In the largest meta-analysis of partner aggression, women were slightly more likely to use a physical act — but men were more likely to cause injury, and 62% of those injured by a partner were women. Symmetry in acts, asymmetry in harm.
The number
Counting discrete physical acts, partner aggression is close to symmetric — but counting injuries, it is not: 62% of those injured by a partner are women. [1]
Men were more likely (d = .15) to inflict an injury, and overall, 62% of those injured by a partner were women.
What it does and doesn't establish
It confirms the real kernel of the "DV is 50/50" claim — women do use physical acts at similar rates, and male victims are real — while showing why "half" is wrong for harm: injury, and severe and sexual violence, fall disproportionately on women. Full context: do women commit half of domestic violence?
Sources
1 source · all archived at publication
- [1]Sex differences in aggression between heterosexual partners: a meta-analytic review · Psychological Bulletin · 2000-09-01 archived ↗
By The Fieldnote Desk · How we verify · Corrections