White Ribbon Australia points out that:
Violence against women is a gendered issue.
- Women are far more likely than men to experience sexual violence and violence from an intimate partner, and with more severe impacts.
- Women are more likely than men to be afraid of, hospitalised by, or killed by an intimate partner.
- Around 95% of all victims of violence, whether women or men, experience violence from a male perpetrator.
Family violence and/or intimate partner violence is the leading cause of serious injury, disability and death for women in Australia. On average, one woman a week is killed by her intimate male partner.
Women who experience additional inequalities due to race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or socio-economic status often experience higher rates of violence and face additional barriers to seeking support.
In 2017, the Australian Personal Safety Survey found that men are more likely to be physically assaulted by other men, usually strangers, outside of their homes. In contrast, most women (92%) reported being assaulted by a man they knew, mainly in their homes (65%).
When women do use violent behaviours, research shows that it is usually motivated by fear and is used in self-defence against violence that is already being done to them by their male partners.