It’s Time to Tell the Truth About Partner Abuse
What is the truth about intimate partner aggression? Nearly 200 scientific studies point to this simple conclusion: Women are at least as likely as men to engage in partner aggression.
This is what leading researchers say:
“Research indicates that women can be just as violent as their partners.” – Irene Hanson Frieze, Psychology of Women’s Quarterly, 2005
“Differences were observed in the rates of male and female partner violence, with female violence occurring more frequently.” – Renee McDonald, Journal of Family Psychology, 2006
“A recent meta-analysis found that a woman’ s perpetration of violence was the strongest predictor of her being a victim of partner violence.” – Daniel Whitaker, American Journal of Public Health, 2007
“Several studies, including large and nationally representative sample, have found that the most prevalent pattern is mutual violence.” – Murray Straus, Prevention of Partner Violence, 2008
Men are often injured by their wives or girlfriends. According to a 2000 meta-analysis by John Archer, PhD, men suffer 38% of all injuries arising from partner aggression. But men often don’t report the incident, so they endure their pain in silence.
As a result, the media often presents a one-sided view of domestic violence.