Risk of Spousal Abuse Among Certain Groups of People

Domestic violence is predictably in the news everyday. Charlie Sheen recently went to a court hearing in Colorado charged with battering his wife. Even the football World Cup is no stranger to domestic violence. A whopping 30% increase in domestic violence cases are linked to this world event alone!

Women are more likely to be killed by their partner, by as much as a 3.7% increase, than by a stranger, says one study. Older, abused women suffer from poor mental health, says another source. They have discovered that the effects of domestic violence are especially hard on older women because they don't see their future as bright and hopeful because they don't have their whole lives ahead of them. They may depend even more on their husbands financially than younger women who are able to work.

Close to 24% of men have raped their wives, yes, one in four married men are rapists. They rationalize their behavior by needing respect from a woman who fails to appreciate his position in the household.

When couples are living in an urban setting, they have a 60% increased risk of having an abusive relationship. In rural dwellings the chances of being in an abusive relationship dips down to 10%.

Men and women are relatively close in percentage of being the abuser, with men taking a one percent lead in being the abuser. However, men are 6% more likely to cause serious physical injury to their partner, compared to 2% of their female counterparts.

In an overwhelming 60% of the time, neither person in the relationship had any formal education. Time and time again the couple has marginal education, which leads to living in poverty, a huge stressor in any relationship. In 58% of the domestic violence cases in America, the total income in the household is below $40,000 a year.

It is the involvement of whether or not children are in the home that reveals the most surprising results. Nearly 49% of couples who are violent with each other report not having any children. If there young children in the house (under the age of four), the odds of the couple being abusive is just 6.7%. However, as the children mature and enter the school-age years, the risks of domestic violence jumps to nearly 45%. Clearly young children are a deterrent for domestic violence. But, the disincentive is short-lived.

The honeymoon period is also apparently short-lived. A majority of marriages that involve violence are more than a year in tenure. This correlates with the findings that it is the 30 years to 49 years age range that has the highest susceptibility to abuse.

Most news stations characterize Blacks and Hispanics as being stupid, ignorant, abusive persons who lack self control. However,research clearly show that this is simply not the case. White couples make up 86% of domestic violence cases throughout America. In fact, Hispanics are the least likely to be involved in domestic violence cases. The theory or suspicion is that Hispanics cohabitate in extended family settings. Because there is a tight-nit social support system in place, Hispanic couples have many to turn to in time of crisis. The media prejudice of Hispanic communities have "machoistic" attitudes, pathological family structures, and non-traditional family systems impedes upon the Hispanic community's future successes. A study recently discovered that Whites had a significantly higher rate of domestic violence and child maltreatment than other race.

There is a clear reason why Hispanics and Blacks are misrepresented in homicide and domestic violence statistics. First, they are more likely to be reported. If a white child is seen abused, or a white couple is witnessed as being violent to one another, they are less likely to be reported to the authorities. Secondly, Hispanics and Blacks are not the majority in America. According to the 2008 U.S Census Bureau, The U.S comprises of only 15.4% of Hispanics and 12.8% of Blacks in the population. So, when comparing how many family violence cases there are in each race, the percentage will be higher simply because there are fewer people in those groups.

Finally, Protestants are 65% more likely to abuse their mates than Catholics, who come in at a distant second with 25%. Atheists are those who don't know what God they subscribe to have a marginal 9%.

Overall, it must be noted that even when taking in consideration the uneven majority of Whites being represented in the U.S population, they still are more likely to abuse their partners. Men and women are nearly even in percentages when it comes to spousal abuse. However, males take the lead in serious injuries and even homicide in marital relationships. Marriages that are over a year in tenure will be more likely to have abuse occur, along with those who have no children or older children in the marriage. This strongly correlates with the fact that middle-aged partners between 30-45 years of age are more likely to abuse their partners. Those who have little education make up the majority of spousal abusers, as well as those who live in poverty. Those who are deeply religious and claim conservative religious affiliation beat out the odds over any other religious group. Clearly the portrayal of domestic violence is not what the media paints it out to be! As a society, much needs to be understood about others' cultures. More awareness needs to be made when it comes to populations who have been blindly overlooked as going unscathed from domestic violence.