Violence against women in Australia: Additional analysis of the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Personal Safety Survey, 2012: Research report

Since the age of 15, more men than women have experienced at least one incident of violence. Both women and men experience more physical violence than sexual violence. Women are more likely to experience sexual violence than men.

Since the age of 15

During their adult life, men are more likely than women to have experienced some form of violence.

Since the age of 15, 3.6 million women have experienced violence. This is four out of ten women in Australia (40.8%).

Tbl 1: D29

Since the age of 15, 4.1 million men have experienced violence. This is one in two men in Australia (49%).

B29

Sexual violence (assault and threat)

In comparison to men, women were significantly more likely to have experienced sexual violence. An incident of sexual violence may include sexual assault and/or sexual threat.

1.7 million women have experienced sexual violence since the age of 15. This is one in five women in Australia (19.4%).

Tbl 1: D39

0.4 million men have experienced sexual violence since the age of 15. This is one in 22 men in Australia (4.5%).

B39

Graph A: Since the age of 15, number of women and men who experienced sexual assault: By sex of victim and sex of perpetrator

Data table for Graph A:

Note: Data relates to incidents since the age of 15.

Sexual assault

Women were more than four times as likely as men to have experienced sexual assault.

More than one in six women have experienced sexual assault (17.1%); this is 1.5 million women. Approximately 33.5 times as many women reported sexual assault by a man (852,800) than by a woman (25,400).

Tbl 16: D37, F23, F24

One in 25 men have experienced sexual assault since the age of 15 (4%). This is more than 0.3 million men. More men experienced sexual assault by a female (130,600) than experienced sexual assault by a male (72,300).

B37, F12, F11

Sexual threat

Women were eight times as likely to have experienced sexual assault.

Close to 400,000 women experienced sexual threat in their adult life. This is one in 22 women (4.4%).

Tbl 1: D38

A little over 50,000 men experienced sexual threat. This is one in 160 men (0.6%).

B38

Women experience significantly more sexual violence than men. The vast majority of these assaults are perpetrated by men.

Graph B: Since the age of 15, number of women and men who experienced physical assault: By sex of victim and sex of perpetrator

Data table for Graph B:

Note: Data relates to incidents since the age of 15.

Physical violence (assault and threat)

Since the age of 15, more men than women have experienced physical violence.

A little over one in three women in Australia have experienced physical violence since the age of 15 (34.4%): this is slightly more than 3 million women.

Tbl 1: D34

Close to one in two men in Australia have experienced at least one incident of physical violence since they turned 15 (48.1%): this is more than 4 million men.

B34

Physical assault

Approximately 1.3 times as many men had experienced physical assault.

Approximately 2.6 million women have experienced at least one incident of physical assault: this is three out of ten women in Australia (29.8%).

Tbl 1: D32

A little over 3.3 million men have experienced physical assault: this is four out of ten men in Australia (39.3%)

B32

Physical threat

Compared to women, 1.75 times as many men had experienced physical threat.^[3]

Over 1.1 million women have experienced physical threat: this is one in eight women in Australia (12.8%).

Tbl 1: D33

Close to 2 million men have experienced physical threat: this is one in four men in Australia (23.2%).

B33

Physical violence is more prevalent than sexual violence in Australia. Men are more likely than women to have experienced physical assault and physical threat.

Women were more likely than men to report no violence in their adult lives.

Six out of ten women had not experienced any violence since the age of 15 (59.2%). This is over 5.1 million women.

Tbl 1: D27

Five out of ten men had not experienced any violence since the age of 15 (51%). This is 4.3 million men.

B27

In the 12 months prior to the survey, 1.6 times as many men as women experienced at least one violent incident.

Close to half a million women experienced violence in the 12 months prior to completing the survey: this is one in twenty women (5.3%).

Tbl 1: D13

Close to three quarters of a million men experienced violence in the 12 months prior to completing the survey: this is one in twelve men (8.7%).

B13

(A person may have experienced more than one type of incident during the 12 month period.)

Sexual violence (assault and threat)

Women were more likely than men to have experienced sexual violence in the 12 months prior to the survey.

A little over 100,000 women experienced sexual violence in the year prior to the survey. This is 1.2% of women in Australia.

Tbl 1: D23

A little over 40,000 men experienced sexual violence in the last year. This is 0.5%* of men in Australia. (The male sexual violence statistics presented in this section 1.2.2: Sexual violence have a high RSE and should be used with caution.)

B23

Graph C: During the last 12 months, number of women and men who experienced violence: By sex of victim and type of violence

Data table for Graph C:

Note: Data relates to incidents since the age of 15.

Sexual assault

Close to two and a half times as many women as men reported that they had been sexually assaulted in the year prior to the survey.

87,800 women experienced sexual assault in the last year: this is one in 100 women (1%).

Tbl 1: D21

37,000* men experienced sexual assault in the last year: this is 0.4%* of men in Australia.

B21

Sexual threat

17,600* (0.2%*) women reported having experienced sexual threat.

Tbl 1: D22

The estimates for sexual threat of men were unreliable.**

B22

Physical violence (assault and threat)

Men were significantly more likely than women to experience physical violence in the year prior to the survey.

A little over 400,000 women experienced physical violence in the 12 months prior to completing the survey: this is one in 21 women (4.6%).

Tbl 1: D18

Close to three quarters of a million men experienced physical violence in the 12 months prior to completing the survey: this is one in 12 men (8.5%).

B18

Physical assault

Approximately 1.7 times as many men as women experienced physical assault in the year prior to the survey.

263,500 (3%) women experienced physical assault in the 12 months prior to completing the survey.

Tbl 1: D16

461,000 (5.4%) men experienced physical assault in the 12 months prior to completing the survey.

B16

The prevalence of physical assault is between 1.3 (for men) and 1.4 (for women) times the prevalence of physical threat.

Physical threat

More men than women reported experiencing a physical threat in the year prior to the survey.

188,900 women experienced physical threat in the 12 months prior to completing the survey.

Tbl 1: D17

352,200 men experienced physical threat in the 12 months prior to completing the survey.

B17

Nineteen out of 20 (94.7%) women did not experience any violence in the last 12 months (8,268,100).

Tbl 1: D11

Nine out of ten (91.3%) men did not experience any violence in the last 12 months (7,729,200).

B11

The data in this section examines perpetrator types for all types of violence perpetrated against a victim over 15 years of age.

Men are most likely to have experienced violence perpetrated by a stranger

Tbl 4: B16

Women are most likely to have experienced violence perpetrated by a known person, specifically a former partner. Boyfriends/girlfriends/dates were also a key perpetrator of violence against women, albeit a smaller group than cohabiting partner. A similar pattern was seen in male victims, however men reported more violence by friends and acquaintances than by cohabiting or non-cohabiting partners, with strangers being a dominant perpetrator group for male victims.

D20

Both women and men are more likely to have experienced violence by a known man than by a known woman.

Male victim

2.26 million men had experienced violence by a known person.^[4] This is approximately one in four men in Australia (26.6%).

Tbl 4: B17

1.8 million male victims had experienced violence by a known man (21.5%), of which:

• 1.4 million men had experienced physical assault by a man; and
• Over 100,000 men had experienced sexual assault by a man.

Tbl A1: R28, B28, H28

933,900 men had experienced violence by a known woman, of which:

• 766,800 men had experienced physical assault by a woman; and
• 165,700 men had experienced sexual assault by a woman.

R33, B33, H33

Graph D: Since the age of 15, number of women and men who experienced violence, reported perpetrator of violence: By sex of victim

Data table for Graph D:

Note: Data relates to incidents since the age of 15.

Female victim

One in three, or 3.1 million women had experienced violence by a known person (35.6%).

Tbl 4: D17

More than 2.9 million women reported violence perpetrated by a known man (33.7%), of which:

• 2.1 million had experienced physical assault by a man; and
• 1.3 million experienced sexual assault by a man.

Tbl A1: R11, B11, H11

Less than 0.7 million women report violence perpetrated by known women, of which:

• 480,000 women experienced physical assault by a woman; and
• 49,600 women experienced sexual assault by a woman.

R21, B21, H21

Graph E: Since the age of 15, number of women and men who experienced violence: By intimate partner type and sex of victim

Data table for Graph E:

Note: Data relates to incidents since the age of 15.

More women than men had experienced violence by an opposite sex partner they may or may not have been living with.

Male victim

694,100 men had experienced violence by a female intimate partner, of which:

• 595,800 men had experienced physical assault by a female intimate partner; and
• 67,500* men had experienced sexual assault by a female intimate partner.

Tbl A1: R34, B34, H34

(Data on male same sex intimate partners was not able to be released separately from the “known person” category.)

Female victim

Close to 2.2 million women reported violence perpetrated by a male intimate partner, of which:

• 1.7 million had experienced physical assault by a male intimate partner; and

over 800,000 had experienced sexual assault by a male intimate partner.

Tbl A1: R12, B12, H12

26,000 women reported violence perpetrated by a female intimate partner, of which:

• 22,000* women had experienced physical assault by a female intimate partner; and
• the number of women who reported that they had experienced sexual assault by a female intimate partner was not able to be reported due to data quality concerns.

R22, B22

More than three times as many women as men reported experiencing cohabiting partner violence. For both women and men, violence was more often reported to have been perpetrated by a former cohabiting partner or a non-cohabiting partner (boyfriend/girlfriend/date) than by a current partner.

Male victim

Just under 0.45 million men have experienced violence perpetrated by a cohabiting partner:

• more than 0.3 million men reported violence perpetrated by a former partner;
• more than 0.1 million reported violence perpetrated by a current partner.

Tbl 4: B18, B20, B19

Most men were victimised by female partners:

• 427,900 had experienced violence perpetrated by a female partner. This is one in 20 men in Australia (5.1%); and
• 26,500* (0.3%*) reported violence by a male partner.

Tbl 6: B40, B20

Female victim

Approximately 1.5 million women have experienced violence by a cohabiting partner:

• 1.3 million women reported violence perpetrated by a former partner; and
• 0.2 million women reported violence perpetrated by a current partner.

Tbl 4: D18, D20, D19

Almost all women who had experienced violence by a cohabiting partner reported that this violence was perpetrated by a male:

• 1,470,200 reported violence by a male partner. This is one in six women in Australia (16.8%); and
• 11,100* (0.1%*) reported violence by a female partner.

Tbl 6: D20, D40

Violence by a non-cohabiting partner was a significant proportion of violence experienced by women. This type of violence was reported by considerably fewer men than women.

Male victim

An estimated:

• 18,700* (0.2%*) men experienced violence by a boyfriend or male date; and
• 295,100 (3.5%) experienced violence by a girlfriend or female date.

Tbl 6: B23, B43

Female victim

Close to a million women reported violence by a boyfriend or male date (981,300, 11.2%).

Tbl 6: D23

15,100* (0.2%*) women reported violence by a girlfriend or female date.

D43

Most people who are victimised by a stranger, are victimised by a man. Significantly more men than women reported this type of victimisation.

Male victim

Over three million men had experienced violence perpetrated by a stranger – this is more than one in three men in Australia (35.7%).

Tbl 4: B16

Of men victimised by a stranger, almost all were victimised by a male (2,978,800): 307,900 men were victimised by a female stranger – this is one in ten men victimised by a stranger.

Tbl 6: B18, B38

Female victim

Approximately 1.1 million women had experienced violence perpetrated by a stranger: this is one in eight women (1,068,200, 12.2%). Most of these women were victimised by a male stranger (903,700).

Tbl 4: D16, Tbl 6: D18

How can you say it both is and is not statistically significant?

In this section it is possible to test a range of combinations of data for statistical differences. In the paragraph above, only some rates were sufficiently different to be statistically significant.

These differences are statistically significant:

Female victims of male violence (903,700) compared to

male victims of female violence (307,900)

(opposite sex comparison);

Female victims of female violence (275,300) compared to

male victims of male violence (2,978,800)

(same sex comparison).

These differences are not statistically significant:

Female victims of female violence

compared to

male victims of female violence

(same perpetrator type comparison).

The following statistics relate to people who have experienced physical assault since the age of 15 and describe their injuries in their most recent incident of physical assault.

Both women and men were more likely to suffer fractured or broken bones/teeth when their assailant was male than when they were assaulted by a female perpetrator. Men were injured more often by male assailants than female, whereas women were injured in approximately equal proportions by male and female perpetrators.

In relation to their most recent physical assault by a male, both male and female victims were equally likely to be physically injured and to see a doctor about their injuries. In comparison to male victims, women had more changes in their routine as a result of their injuries. Women were more likely than men to be physically injured and to see a doctor about their injuries from their most recent physical assault perpetrated by a woman.

Graph F: Proportion and number of women and men, experience of injury in most recent incident of physical assault: By sex of victim and sex of perpetrator

Data table for Graph F:

Note: Data relates to incidents since the age of 15.

Table B: Characteristics of physical injury after most recent incident of physical assault: By sex of victim and sex of perpetrator

Male perpetrator:

Icon	Female victim	Male victim
	In their most recent physical assault by a man, just over half of women were physically injured (55.6%): this is close to a million women. Of women who were physically injured:	In their most recent physical assault by a man, just over half of men were physically injured (54%). This is over 1.25 million men. Of men who were physically injured: Of men who were physically injured:
	Nearly 900,000 women obtained scratches, bruises or cuts (92.7%).	Over 1.1 million men obtained scratches, bruises or cuts (88.7%).
	One in 24 women were stabbed, shot or otherwise had a deep wound – this is 39,600* women (4.1%*).	70,400 men were stabbed, shot or otherwise had a deep wound inflicted: this is one in 18 men (5.6%).
	10,400* experienced a miscarriage.
	Less than one in three women saw a doctor about their injuries (300,700, 31.5%).	One in three men saw a doctor about their injuries (419,200, 33.4%).
	Six out of ten women had changes in routine as a result of their injuries (58.8%).	Three out of ten men had changes in routine as a result of their injuries (30.5%).
	Changes in social/leisure activities (298,700, 31.3%), sleeping habits (305,300, 32%), building or maintaining relationships (26.1%, 249,100) were the most common.	One in five men experienced changes to their social/leisure activities (244,600, 19.5%), and one in nine had changes to their work, school or study activities (141,100, 11.3%).
	Table A10, column B	Table A10, column H

Female perpetrator:

Icon	Female victim	Male victim
	In their most recent physical assault by a woman, just over half of women were physically injured (236,000, 52.7%). Of women who were physically injured:	In their most recent physical assault by a woman, less than four out of ten men were physically injured (278,100, 38.3%). Of men who were physically injured:
	93.2% of women sustained scratches, bruises or cuts (219,900)	94.6% of men sustained scratches, bruises or cuts (263,200).
	Less than 1% of women were stabbed, shot or otherwise had a deep wound inflicted (1,800**, 0.8%**).	Approximately one in 20 men were stabbed, shot or otherwise had a deep wound inflicted (15,900*, 5.7%*).
	Less than three out of ten women saw a doctor about their injuries (68,100, 28.9%).	One in seven men saw a doctor about their injuries (40,400*, 14.5%).
	Half of the women had changes in routine as a result of their injuries (50.1%).	Three out of ten men had changes in usual routine as a result of their injuries (30.8%).
	Changes in social/leisure activities (86,800, 36.8%), sleeping habits (42,800, 18.1%) were common.	–
	Changes in building or maintaining relationships (35,900, 15.2%) were also common.	The only change in routine to effect more than one in ten men was building and maintaining relationships (35,300, 12.7%).
	Table A10, columns D and E	Table A10, columns J and K

The changes to routine in this section relate to those that happen due to physical injuries. Many uninjured people will have also had changes in their usual routine; the experiences of these individuals are not reflected in the information above.

Graph G: Proportion of women and men, incidents involving alcohol, whether victim or perpetrator believed to be under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, most recent incident: By sex of victim

Data table for Graph G:

Note: Data relates to incidents since the age of 15. This data is limited to most recent incident of physical assault by a male.

The ABS asks people who had experienced violence since the age of 15 to describe the drug and alcohol use of both victim and perpetrator in their most recent incident of that specific form of violence. This data is collected separately for each of the 8 types of violence (sexual assault, sexual threat, physical assault and physical threat by a male and female perpetrator), however below we look mainly at their most recent incident of physical assault by a male.

Male victim

In nearly 1.6 million incidents, alcohol was believed to contribute to the most recent physical assault by a male. This is about seven out of ten incidents of physical assault of a male by another male (67.7%).

Tbl 18:H14, I14

Regarding their most recent physical assault by a male, male victims reported that:

• they were affected by drugs or alcohol in about 45% of these cases; and
• the perpetrator was affected by drugs or alcohol in 95% of cases.

Female victim

In over 900,000 incidents, alcohol or other drugs were believed to contribute to the most recent physical assault by a male. This is over half the incidents of physical assault of a female by a male (53.4%). A similar percentage was reported for:

• Sexual assault by a male (474,600, 55.7%); and
• Physical threat by a male (351,700, 50%).

Tbl 18: H26, H24, H30

Regarding their most recent physical assault by a male, female victims reported that:

• they were affected by drugs or alcohol in about 14% of these cases; and
• the perpetrator was affected by drugs or alcohol in 95% of cases.

Graph H: Number of women and men, most common location of most recent incident of physical assault by a male: By sex of victim

Data table for Graph H:

Note: Data relates to incidents since the age of 15.

The following statistics relate to people who had experienced physical assault since the age of 15 and describe the location of their most recent physical assault.

Men were most likely to experience physical assault in a place of entertainment. Women were most likely to experience physical assault in their own home.

Male victim

For men, a place of entertainment was the most common place for their most recent physical assault:

Close to 800,000 men were physically assaulted by another male while in a place of entertainment. This is about a third of all most recent incidents of a man being physically assaulted by another man (34.1%).

Tbl 19: F17, G17

In addition, over 600,000 men experienced their most recent physical assault by a man outside. More than 300,000 men experienced this type of assault in their workplace.

F18, F16

Men were nine and a half times more likely than women to be physically assaulted by a man in a place of entertainment, with 90,700 women physically assaulted by a male in a place of entertainment. Approximately 100,000 women were physically assaulted by another woman in this location.

F32, H32

Female victim

For women, the most common place for their most recent physical assault to occur was their own home:

Over one million women experienced physical assault by a male in their own home. This represents six out of ten physical assaults of a woman by a man (61.5%).

Tbl 19: F28, G28

Approximately 2.7 times more women than men were assaulted by an opposite sex perpetrator in their home, with close to 400,000 physically assaulted by a woman in this location. In addition, close to 200,000 men were physically assaulted by another man in their home.

F13, H13

The most common place for a woman to experience her most recent assault was in a private residence – this was true across all assault types by same and opposite sex perpetrators.

For men, there is much more variation in the most common location of his most recent assault: assault perpetrated by women was most likely to occur in the victim’s home, while violence by another man most commonly occurred in a place of entertainment/recreation or an “other” site outside of the home or workplace .

Table C: Most common location of most recent incident of physical or sexual assault: By sex of victim and sex of perpetrator

Physical assault

Sexual assault

Table 19: Rows 13-19, 28-34

This sub-section has provided some detail of the nature of violent incidents experienced by women and men. Of note is how, for both women and men, injuries tended to be more severe when the assault is perpetrated by a male. In addition, violence in the context of alcohol and other drug use was reported more often by male victims than by female victims. In the next section, we examine the post-incident impacts of violence, as well as the actions that victims take after a violent episode.

Women and men report similar progressions through the criminal justice system, with about a third of victims contacting police and less than 15% indicating that the perpetrator went to court. While there is some variation by perpetrator type, the overall pattern of steady withdrawal from the criminal justice system is consistent.

Below we provide details of police and court contact for men’s and women’s most recent physical assault. Data on police and court contact is collected through the most recent incident module of the PSS and therefore is unable to be aggregated for different violence types. We have chosen to focus on physical assault as it is the most common form of violence for both women and men, and therefore analysis of this data provides the most robust estimates. Less detailed data is available for sexual assault.

The following statistics relate to people who have experienced physical assault since the age of 15 and describe their engagement with the justice system in relation to their most recent incident of physical assault.

Police contacted

A little under a third of victims contacted police about their most recent physical assault.

Tbl A11: Row 21

Perpetrator charged

In approximately a third of cases where the victim has gone to the police about their most recent physical assault, the respondent reported that the perpetrator was then charged.

Tbl A11: Row 26

Perpetrator went to court

In about eight out of ten cases, the respondent reported that the charged perpetrator went to court.

Tbl A11: Row 31

Table D: Police involvement after most recent incident of physical assault: By sex of victim and sex of perpetrator

Male perpetrator:

Female perpetrator:

With the exception of the last row of each square, the proportions above are calculated using the number of people having experienced the violence as the total (i.e., the first number in each square).

As discussed earlier in this section, both women and men were more likely to experience violence perpetrated by a man – for men, this violence was mostly perpetrated by strangers or by someone they knew (but were not in an intimate relationship with), while for women this violence tended to be perpetrated by a partner. It is likely that these differences in incident characteristics influence the difference in criminal justice system responses. For example, it seems logical that male-on-male violence resulted in less charges being laid, as laying charges against a stranger is likely to be more logistically difficult than laying charges against a partner.

The following statistics relate to people who have experienced sexual assault since the age of 15 and describe their actions in relation to their most recent sexual assault.

Table E: Police involvement after most recent incident of sexual assault: By sex of victim and sex of perpetrator

Overall, this section demonstrates that police contact was more common for physical assault than sexual assault and that, regardless of the assault type, the sex of the victim or the sex of the perpetrator, only a minority of people reported their assault to police.

For both physical and sexual assault, and for both male and female victims, the majority of help seeking related to assaults perpetrated by males. This reflects both: a) the higher absolute numbers of victims in these categories; and b) the higher proportion of victims who sought advice and support about assaults perpetrated by men.

Graph I: Proportion and number of women and men, whether sought advice or support about most recent incident of physical assault: By sex of victim and sex of perpetrator

Data table for Graph I:

Note: Data relates to incidents since the age of 15.

The following statistics relate to people who have experienced physical assault since the age of 15 and describe their actions in relation to their most recent physical assault.

Overall, women sought advice more than men. The highest proportion and largest number of victims who sought advice and support for their most recent physical assault were female victims of male violence.

Table F: Seeking of advice and support after most recent incident of physical assault: By sex of victim and sex of perpetrator

Graph J: Proportion and number of women and men, whether sought advice or support about most recent incident of sexual assault: By sex of victim and sex of perpetrator

Data table for Graph J:

Note: Data relates to incidents since the age of 15.

The following statistics relate to people who have experienced sexual assault since the age of 15 and describe their actions in relation to their most recent sexual assault.

Both women and men sought advice and support more often for sexual assaults by a male perpetrator than by a female perpetrator.

Table G: Seeking of advice and support after most recent incident of sexual assault: By sex of victim and sex of perpetrator

The following statistics relate to people who had experienced violence since the age of 15 and describe whether they took time off work for their most recent physical or sexual assault.

One in ten employed men, and one in five employed women had taken time off work in the year after their most recent physical assault by a male.

Most recent incident of physical assault by an opposite sex perpetrator

238,600 women took time off work as a result of their most recent physical assault by a male: this represents 20% of the women who had experienced this type of assault and were working during that period.

Tbl 20: B11

47,500* men took time off work as a result of their most recent physical assault by a female: this is 7.6% of men who experienced this type of assault and were in work during this period.

B14

Most recent incident of physical assault by a same sex perpetrator

22,900 women took time off as a result of their most recent physical assault by a female: this is 7.8% of women who experienced this type of assault and were in work during this period.

Tbl 20: B22

199,200 men took time off work in the 12 months after their most recent incident of physical assault by a man: this is 10.4% of men who experienced this type of assault and were in work during this period.

B13

Most recent incident of sexual assault by an opposite sex perpetrator

93,200 women who had experienced sexual assault by a man took time off work in the year following their most recent incident. This is:

• 10.9% of all women who had experienced sexual assault by a man; and
• 17% of women who experienced this type of assault and were working during this period.

Tbl 20: B19

8,300** men took time off work as a result of a sexual assault by a female: this is 7.2% of men who were sexually assaulted by a woman and were working during this time.

B12

Most recent incident of sexual assault by a same sex perpetrator

2,100** women took time off as a result of their most recent sexual assault by a woman. This is 11.4%** of women who were sexually assaulted by a woman and were working during this time.

Tbl 20: B20

2.8%** of men who were sexually assaulted by another man took time off work after their most recent incident. The estimated number of men who took time off work after a sexual assault by a male perpetrator was not available.

B11

Between 7.8% (physical assault by a female) and 20% (physical assault by a male) of employed women reported taking time off work in the year following the assault. In contrast, between 2.8% (sexual assault by a male) and 7.8% (physical assault by a male) of employed men reported taking time off due to their most recent assault.

When we look at the percentage of victims who had experienced anxiety in the year after the assault, women who were physically assaulted by a male were:

• 2.6 times more likely to feel fear or anxiety than men who had been physically assaulted by a male; and

• 4.3 times more likely to feel fear or anxiety than men who had been physically assaulted by a female.

Table H: Fear and anxiety after most recent incident of physical assault: By sex of victim and sex of perpetrator

More than half of women physically assaulted by a man reported feeling fear and anxiety after their most recent assault. This is the only group of physical assault victims where a majority of respondents reported feeling fear and anxiety.

Graph K: Proportion of women and men who experienced anxiety and fear after their most recent incident of violence: By sex of victim and sex of perpetrator

Data table for Graph K:

Note: Data relates to incidents since the age of 15.

In relation to their most recent physical assault, both time off work and fear and anxiety affected a greater proportion of female victims than male victims. Women seek advice and support more often than men, possibly due to the increased likelihood that they are dealing with violence perpetrated by someone they know and/or who they live with. Engagement with the police and courts is a consequence of a minority of assaults, regardless of the sex of the victim or perpetrator. Both women and men experience substantial, and at times debilitating, impacts after a violent incident.

Sexual violence (assault or threat)

Women were more than four times as likely as men to have experienced sexual violence.

Over their adult lifetime, 1.7 million women had experienced sexual violence. This is approximately one in five women (19.4%).

Tbl 1: D39

Sexual assault

Nearly 1.5 million women had experienced sexual assault since the age of 15. This represents:

• 17.1% of all women in Australia; and

• two out of five (42%) women who had experienced any form of violence since the age of 15.

  Tbl 1: D37

Of women who had experienced sexual assault, 99% had experienced sexual assault by a man.

In the year prior to the survey, just over 100,000 women had experienced sexual assault and/or sexual threat.

Tbl 1: D23

87,800 women were sexually assaulted in the year prior to the survey. This is:

• Approximately one in five (18.8%) women who had experienced any form of violence in this period; and
• 1% of the entire female population of Australia.

  D21

When compared to the 12-month national rate of sexual assault, young women (aged 18-24 years) have a higher rate and older women (aged 55+ years) have a lower rate. Apart from these two groups, there was no statistically significant variation in prevalence identified in the data. Research from other sources suggest more between-group differentiations than the PSS has identified. This difference from other research is likely to reflect two key factors:

• Victim demographic analysis must use data related to victimisation in the 12 months prior to the survey. As victim demographics change over time (people get older, they move state, they get a new job), it would be misleading to use lifetime data (i.e. since the age of 15). However, the use of prior year data reduces the sample size, thus increasing the RSE and making it more difficult for variations between groups to be classified as statistically significant.
• Challenges in accessing marginalised communities due to language and structural constraints (see below).

Overall, this section identifies minimal demographic variation in 12 month prevalence of sexual assault.

Graph L: In the last 12 months, proportion of women experiencing sexual assault: By sociodemographic characteristics

Data table for Graph L:

Note: Includes only sociodemographic characteristics with a 12 month sexual assault rate that is statistically significantly different from the national 12 month sexual assault rate.

The rate of sexual assault varied significantly with age. Young women were at increased risk when compared to the national average, with 2.2%* (23,500*) of women aged 18-24 years having experienced sexual assault in the last 12 months.

Tbl A3: C18

Older women were at decreased risk when compared to the national rate, with 0.2%* (7,000)* of women aged 55 years and older having experienced sexual assault in the previous 12 months.

C22

Rates of sexual assault of women during the last 12 months did not vary significantly between jurisdictions. Six out of eight jurisdictions had a rate of sexual assault between 0.9%* and 1.2%*. The ACT had a rate of 1.8% and Victoria had a rate of 0.7%*, however there was no statistically significant difference in rates when compared to the national average.

Tbl A3: C8 – 15

Last 12 months

Since the age of 15

The difference in rates by country of birth was more noticeable when considering sexual assault since the age of 15. 19.2% (1,159,700) of women born in Australia and 12.4% (334,300) of women born overseas had experienced adult sexual assault. For women born in countries where English was not the main spoken language the rate was 9.3% (162,800), which is less than half the rate for women born in Australia.

Tbl 15:G14, G18, G17

1.5% of women with a disability had experienced sexual assault in the last year (42,800). In comparison, 0.8% of women without a disability had experienced sexual assault in the same time period (45,000).

Tbl A3: B53, B54

Women with a disability represent about half of all female victims of sexual assault in the 12 months before the survey.

This sub-section examines the relationship between the victim and perpetrator of a sexual assault. The data used in this section relates to the part of the PSS where a respondent is asked about their relationship to the perpetrator at the time of the survey (as opposed to their relationship at the time of the assault). We examine three sets of perpetrator data – the more inclusive “since the age of 15” data, and the two sub-sets of “in the last 12 months” and “most recent incident”. In all cases, women were most likely to be assaulted by someone known to them, with intimate partners (including former and current cohabiting partner, as well as boyfriend/girlfriend/dates) being a substantial portion of this population.

1.5 million women have experienced sexual assault since the age of 15: this is one in six women in Australia.

Tbl 1: D37

Intimate partner (includes cohabiting partner and boyfriend/date)

Since the age of 15, 805,900 women were sexually assaulted by a male intimate partner: this is one in 11 women in Australia (9.2%).

Tbl A1: H12

The number of women sexually assaulted by a female partner was too small to report.

H22

Cohabiting partner

At the time of the survey:

• 44,200 women were in a cohabiting relationship with a man who had sexually assaulted them (current partner). This is 3% of women who had been sexually assaulted by a male perpetrator since the age of 15.
• 354,100 were separated from a male cohabiting partner that sexually assaulted them (former partner). This is 23.7% of women who have been sexually assaulted by a male perpetrator since the age of 15.

Tbl A1:H13, H14

Boyfriend/date

Close to half a million women had been sexually assaulted by a boyfriend or male date (469,900). This is a greater number of women than the number who had been sexually assaulted by a male cohabiting partner.^[5]

Tbl A1:H15

Graph M: In the last 12 months, number of women experiencing sexual assault: By relationship to male or female perpetrator

Data table for Graph M:

A similar pattern of perpetrator types was found in the “12 month” and “since the age of 15” data.

Intimate partner

Of the 87,800 women sexually assaulted in the last year, 75,500 (85%) were sexually assaulted by person known to them.

Tbl A2:H17

Two thirds of these women were assaulted by cohabiting partner, boyfriend, girlfriend or date (52,400).

H12

Of the women who were sexually assaulted by a male intimate partner:

• 20.4% (10,700*) were assaulted by a current partner;
• 32.6% (17,100*) were assaulted by a former partner; and
• 46.9% (24, 600*) were assaulted by a boyfriend, girlfriend or date.

H13, H14, H15

Stranger

The same number of women were sexually assaulted by a former cohabiting partner (17,100*) as by a stranger (17,300*).

Tbl A2: H10

Graph N: Women who had experienced sexual assault by a male, most recent incident: By relationship to perpetrator (proportion)

Data table for Graph N:

Note: As a person can only have one “most recent incident” this is the only data to add up to 100%. Data includes most recent incidents since the age of 15.

Sexual assault

For most women, their most recent sexual assault by a male was perpetrated by:

• a previous partner (212,300, 24.9%);
• a boyfriend or date (including an ex) (204,200, 23.9%); or
• a friend, acquaintance, employer or co-worker (192,700, 22.6%).

Tbl A4:G10, G12, G13

About one in 22 women who had been sexually assaulted were assaulted by their current partner in their most recent incident (4.5%, 38,000).

G9

Sexual threat

When considering a woman’s most recent sexual threat, the majority were perpetrated by:

• strangers (35.4%); or
• friends, acquaintances, employers or co-workers (29.1%)

Tbl A4: I8, I13

Almost all of the detailed data on sexual assault comes from the most recent incident (MRI) data module. This data has specific limitations that make it difficult to report in some contexts.

MRI data is collected when the ABS asks a study respondent about their most recent incident of eight types of violence. Two of these types are sexual assault: by a male, and by a female.

MRI data has several limitations that are outlined in detail in Section 1: 3. Incident characteristics. These limitations are a consequence of the fact that MRI data only tells us what happened in the most recent incident.

MRI data is highlighted in orange to help the reader be aware that this information should be used with caution.

The statistics in Part 4 of this section, Incident characteristics, relate to a woman’s most recent incident of sexual assault by a male perpetrator.

A quarter of a million women reported being physically injured in their most recent sexual assault by a male. Scratches, bruises and cuts were the most common form of injury. Four out of ten women went to see a doctor due to their assault. Most women had changes in their routine due to their injury.

Of women who had experienced sexual assault by a male perpetrator, one in three reported that they were physically injured in their most recent incident: this is over a quarter of a million women (284,000).

Tbl A10: F9

For women who were physically injured:

• 88.4% (251,000) experienced scratches, bruises or cuts;
• 11.1% (31,600) experienced fractures or broken bones/teeth; and
• 2.6%** (7,300*) were stabbed, shot or had another form of deep wound.

F14, F15, F16

8,800* women reported a miscarriage as an injury from their most recent sexual assault.

F17

Four out of ten (105,700, 37.2%) women who were physically injured in their most recent sexual assault by a male consulted a doctor about their injuries.

Tbl A10: F22

In comparison, approximately three out of ten women consulted their doctor for their most recent physical assault (31.5% for physical assault by a male, 28.9% for physical assault by a female).

C22, E22

The PSS asks respondents whether they have seen a doctor about the injuries they sustained in an incident of violence. Some women may have also accessed medical services after a sexual assault for other reasons such as STI testing, pregnancy testing and/or contraception, meaning that the number of women who have seen a doctor after a sexual assault may be larger than what is reported in the PSS.

Most women who were injured in their most recent sexual assault by a male reported a change in their usual routine in the 12 months after the incident. These changes were as a result of their physical injury, with the three most common impacts being:

• changes in their sleeping habits (147,200, 51.8%);
• changes in social/leisure activities (131,000, 46.1%); and
• changes in building and maintaining relationships (120,100, 42.3%).

Tbl A10: G35, G27, G33

Graph O: Women who were physically injured in their most recent sexual assault by a male, since the age of 15: By type of injury experienced

Data table for Graph O:

Please see Section 1: 3.2 Alcohol and other drugs for a definition of “contributes to the incident.”

The use of alcohol and other drugs was a common feature of sexual assault incidents with just over half the women survey indicating that this was a contributing factor in their most recent sexual assault by a male. More women assessed that their perpetrator’s (rather than their own) drug and alcohol use contributed to their most recent sexual assault.

Of all incidents of sexual assault where women indicated that alcohol and other drugs contributed to the incident, it was mostly the perpetrator’s use that was assessed as being a contributing factor.

Two out of three sexual assaults by a stranger were assessed by the victim to have contributing alcohol/drug use (87,400, 65.1%).

Tbl A5:K24

One in two incidents involving known persons, including cohabiting partners, were assessed by the victim to have had contributing alcohol/drug use (387,100, 53.9%).

K25

Of all most recent incidents of sexual assaults by a male perpetrator that involved a contributing use of drug/alcohol (474,600):

• 18.4% were perpetrated by a stranger (87,400);
• 29.4% were perpetrated by a cohabiting partner (139,500); and
• 52.2% were perpetrated by a known person (excluding cohabiting partners, but including boyfriends and male dates) (247,600).

J28, J24, J26, J27

For information about:
The role of alcohol and other drugs in partner violence, see Section 3: 3.4 Alcohol and other drugs.
Perpetrator characteristics for sexual assault, see Section 2: 3.3 Most recent incident.

Three quarters of women reported that their most recent sexual assault by a male occurred in a private residence, of which, close to 70% were perpetrated by a cohabiting partner or boyfriend/date .

Private residence

The following statistics relate to a woman’s most recent incident of sexual assault by a male perpetrator.

Three out of four sexual assaults occurred in a private residence (627,600, 73.6%), of which:

• 44.7% (381,600) occurred in the victim’s home;
• 14% (119,800) occurred in the perpetrator’s home; and
• 14.8% (126,100) occurred in another person’s home.

Tbl 19: C28, C29, C30

Almost all (93%) sexual assaults perpetrated by a male that occurred in the home were committed by a man known to the victim. Of these most recent sexual assaults by a known person:

• Four out of ten (243,500, 41.7%) were perpetrated by a cohabiting partner.
• Three out of ten (167,200, 28.7%) were perpetrated by boyfriend or date.

Three out of ten (172,600, 29.6%) were perpetrated by an other known male such father, son, brother, teacher, friend etc.

Table A5: Additional analysis, B24-B28

One in 14 (7%) sexual assaults perpetrated by a male in a private residence were perpetrated by a stranger.

Less than 10% of assaults occurred:

• outside (e.g., laneway, carpark, park) (62,400, 7.3%);
• while using or waiting for public transport (5000*, 0.6%)^[7];
• in the respondent’s workplace (19,500, 2.3%); or
• in a place of entertainment (52,600, 6.2%).

Tbl 19:C33, C31, C32

Place of entertainment

Outside and while using or waiting for public transport

More women experienced their most recent sexual assault while outside or using or waiting for public transport than while in a place of entertainment.

Of the 67,400 women who experienced their most recent sexual assault while outside or waiting for public transport:

• 53.7% were perpetrated by a male stranger (36,200); and
• 46.4% were perpetrated by a known male (31,300).

Tbl A5: F28, F24, F25

For more information about location of partner violence, see Section 3: 3.5 Location of incident.

Graph P: Proportion of women victims, location of most recent incident of sexual assault by a male

Data table for Graph P:

Note: Data relates to incidents since the age of 15.

In relation to their most recent sexual assault by a male, most women reported that the incident occurred in a private residence, by a man known to them. A slight majority of victims said that the use of drugs and/or alcohol was a contributing factor in their assault. Most women were not physically injured during the assault.

One fifth of women reported their most recent sexual assault by male to police, and just over one in 20 women indicated that the perpetrator had ended up in court. Although women were more likely to perceive an assault by a stranger as a crime, this did not result in a marked increase in prosecution for this perpetrator type.

Most recent sexual assault

One in five women reported their most recent sexual assault by a male to the police (162,800, 19.1%).

Tbl 17: B29, B31, B32

In contrast:

• one in three women contacted police about their most recent physical assault by a male (562,600, 32.8%); and
• one in three women contacted police about their most recent physical assault by a female (141,400, 31.6%).

In the 12 months prior to the survey

Of women who had experienced sexual assault by a male in the year prior to the survey, one in six reported their most recent incident to the police (16.9%*, 14,800*): five out of six (83.1%), or an estimated 72,800, women did not report their most recent incident of sexual assault by a male to the police.

Tbl 17: C16, E16

A smaller percentage reported to the police their most recent incident of sexual assault (16.9%, 14,800), than reported:

• a physical assault by a male (28.3%, 61,000); or
• a physical assault by a female (41.3%, 25,300*).

C16, C18, C19

For information about police contact for all types of partner violence, see Section 3: 4.1 Police and court contact.

Graph Q: Proportion of women who contacted police about their most recent assault: By assault type

Data table for Graph Q:

Note: Data relates to incidents since the age of 15.

Figure C: Most recent incident of sexual assault by a male: Police to court flowchart

Based on Tbl A14.

Text alternative:

Women who experienced sexual assault

Sexual assault: 852,800

Whether most recent incident was perceived as a crime

Incident perceived as a crime: 305,600
This is 35.8% of women who have been sexually assaulted.

Incident not perceived as a crime:
365,900 perceived the incident as wrong but not a crime (43%).
153,400 perceived the incident as something that just happens (18%).

Whether contacted police about most recent incident

Police contacted: 162,800
This is: 19.1% of women who have been sexually assaulted.

Police not contacted: 690,100

Whether victim believed perpetrator was charged for most recent incident.

Perpetrator charged: 59,000
This is: 6.9% of women who have been sexually assaulted. 36.2% of cases where the woman contacted police.

Perpetrator not charged: 103,800

Whether victim believed perpetrator went to court for most recent incident.

Perpetrator went to court: 48,700
This is: 5.7% of women who have been sexually assaulted. 29.9% of cases where the woman contacted police. 82.5% of cases where the perpetrator was charged.

Perpetrator did not go to court: 10,300*

Note: A small number of women who did not perceive the assault as a crime contacted the police

There was no statistically significant difference in the rates of police contact for:

• Women who were employed (10,100*, 21%*) and women who were unemployed or not in the labour force (4,600**, 11.8%**).
• Women who had a post-school qualification (8,200**, 18.1%*) and those who did not (15.5%*, 6,500*).
• Women who had a disability or long-term health condition (7,200*, 16.9%*), and those who did not (7,500*, 16.8%*).

Tbl A16: C9, C10, C14, C13, C21, C22

See also: Section 2: 2. Victim demographics, for relevant sub-population data.

Graph R: Women’s most recent sexual assault by a male perpetrator, whether incident perceived as crime at the time and police involvement

Data table for Graph R:

Note: Information on perpetrator’s involvement in the justice system from victim’s reports in PSS only.

The following information outlines stages of engagement with the justice system by perpetrator type and relates only to a woman’s most recent sexual assault by a male:

Perceived as crime

• a male cohabiting partner (83,400, 33.3%); or
• an other known male (140,800, 30.1%).

Tbl A14: C10, E10, G10

Reported assault to police

One in seven (14%, 65,500) women whose most recent sexual assault was by a known male (other than their cohabiting partner) reported their assault to police.

G17

In comparison:

• one in three (46,900, 34.9%) women sexually assaulted by a stranger contacted the police; and
• one in five (50,400, 20.1%) women sexually assaulted by a cohabiting partner contacted the police.

C17, E17

Perpetrator charged

Of women who contacted police about their most recent sexual assault by a male:

• four out of ten reported that the perpetrator was charged if the assault was perpetrated by:
• a cohabiting partner (20,900*, 41.5%); or
• an other known male (26,100*, 39.9%*).
• one in four (11,900*, 25.5%*) who were sexually assaulted by a stranger reported that the perpetrator was charged.

E46, G46, C46

Perpetrator went to court

Of women who reported that the male perpetrator of their most recent sexual assault was charged:

• 99.9% reported that the perpetrator went to court if the assault was by a stranger;
• 72.4% reported that the perpetrator went to court if the assault was by a “cohabiting partner”; and
• 82.8% reported that the perpetrator went to court if the assault was by an other known male.

C51, E51, G51

For information on perpetrator demographics for sexual assault, see Section 2: 3.3 Most recent incident.

The table below outlines women’s engagement with the justice system based on the perpetrator type for a woman’s most recent incident of sexual assault by a male.

Figure D: Police involvement after most recent incident of sexual assault by a male: By relationship to perpetrator

Based on Tbl A14

Data table for Figure D:

Note: A small number of women who did not perceive the assault as a crime contacted the police

Common reasons for not contacting the police

Women reported a range of reasons for not reporting their most recent sexual assault by a male to police.

Tble A14:

Approximately half of women reported a main reason that was either “did not regard it as a serious offence or a crime” or “did not want to ask for help/felt they could deal with it by themselves”. This trend was present regardless of the perpetrator type.

Additional analysis

Three out of ten women whose most recent sexual assault was by a cohabiting partner said that the main reason they did not report the incident was because of fear of the person responsible (55,900, 28%). This is between five and eight times the percentage of women who said that this was their main reason when the assault was perpetrated by:

• a stranger (3,100**, 3.6%**); or
• an other known male (21,100, 5.2%).

E38, C38, G38

One in five women whose most recent sexual assault was by a stranger indicated that the main reason that they did not report the incident to police was that they did not “trust the police/think they would believe me/think there was anything they could or would do” (17,500, 20%). This is about double the percentage of women who said that this was their main reason when the assault was perpetrated by:

• a cohabiting partner (17,000, 8.5%); or
• an other known male (44,200, 11%).

C37, E37, G37

Uncommon reasons for not contacting the police

In only 3.8% (26,400) of cases did the woman indicate that the main reason for not reporting her most recent sexual assault was that she did not want the person responsible arrested. Further disaggregation by perpetrator type was not possible, with perpetrator type data for this reason only available for cohabiting partner (11,400*, 5.7%*).

I35, E35

1.6% of women said that the main reason they did not report their sexual assault was cultural or language reasons (11,100).

I40

For information on perpetrator demographics for sexual assault, see Section 2: 3.3 Most recent incident.

The table below outlines the main reasons women did not contact police by perpetrator type for a woman’s most recent sexual assault by a male. When answering this question in the survey, participants could only nominate one main reason.

Table I: Police involvement after a woman’s most recent incident of sexual assault by a male perpetrator, select main reason for not contacting police: By relationship to perpetrator

One in six women have not told anyone about their most recent sexual assault by a male. Of those women that have told someone, women were most likely to first disclose their assault to a “friend, family member, work colleague or minister of religion”. Women were also most likely to get advice and support from this group, with “counsellor, support work or telephone hotline” and “GP or health professional” also common sources of advice and support.

Please see Section 3: 4.2 Advice and support, for detail on help seeking for women who experience partner physical assault.

One in six women had not told anyone about their most recent sexual assault by a male (134,100, 15.7%): most of these women were sexually assaulted by their cohabiting partner (76,600).

Tbl A9: H77, F77

Of the 718,700 women who had told someone about their most recent sexual assault by a male:

• three quarters spoke first to a friend, family member, work colleague or minister of religion (531,600, 74%);
• one in 12 spoke first to their GP or other health professional (59,800, 8.3%); and
• one in 15 spoke first to the police (49,200, 6.8%).

H75, H72, H74

Regardless of who assaulted them, women were most likely to first tell a friend, family member, work colleague or a minister of religion.

The table below outlines the most common first person told by perpetrator type for a woman’s most recent sexual assault by a male. This table tells us who women are most likely to tell first about their sexual assault.

Table J: Women’s most recent incident of sexual assault by a male perpetrator, first person told: By relationship to perpetrator

Note: Women can only “first tell” a single person, meaning that they can only select one answer for this question and the total will equal 100%.

Three out of five women sought support or advice for their most recent sexual assault by a male (505,400, 59.3%).

Tbl 16: C23

Of the half a million women who sought advice or support for their most recent sexual assault by a male, some of whom received support from more than one source:

• three quarters sought advice or support from a friend, family member, work colleague or minister of religion (375,000);
• a third sought advice or support from a counsellor, support worker or telephone hotline (185,600); and
• a third sought advice or support from a GP or other health professional (183,800).

Tbl A9: H59, H68, H64, H63

• three quarters of employed women sought advice or support (36,800, 76.3%); and
• half of the women who were unemployed or not in the labour force sought advice or support (19,400*, 49.4%).

Tbl A16: G9, G10

• women who had post-school qualification (30,400*, 67.2%) and those who did not (25,800, 61.1%);
• women who were born in Australia (45,400, 67.3%) and those who were born overseas (10,800*, 53.8%*); and
• women who have a disability or long-term health condition (28,600*, 67%), and those who did not (27,700*, 61.8%).

G14, G13, G17, G18, G21, G22

See also: Section 2: 2. Victim demographics for relevant sub-population data.

Regardless of who sexually assaulted them, women were most likely to seek advice and support for their most recent sexual assault from a friend, family member, work colleague or minister of religion.

The table below outlines the most common sources of support by perpetrator type for a woman’s most recent sexual assault by a male. Women may have sought support and advice from multiple sources.

Table K: Women’s most recent incident of sexual assault by a male perpetrator, sources of support and advice: By relationship to perpetrator

For information on perpetrator demographics for sexual assault, see Section 2: 3.3 Most recent incident.

93,200 women reported that they took time off work after in the 12 months after their most recent sexual assault by a male. This represents:

• 10.9% of all women who had experienced a sexual assault; and
• 17% of women who were working in the 12 months after the assault.

Tbl A6: H32, I32

The data below relates only to a woman’s most recent sexual assault by a male.

See also Section 3: 4.3 Time off work for detail on time off work for women who experience partner violence.

When considering women who were in the workforce during the year after their most recent assault:

• One in four women who were assaulted by a stranger took time off work (22.5%*).
• One in five women who were assaulted by a cohabiting partner took time off work (19.8%).
• One in seven women who were assaulted by a known person (excluding cohabiting partner) took time off work (14%).

Tbl A6: Additional analysis of data

See also Section 2: 3.3 Most recent incident for information on perpetrator demographics for sexual assault.

One in six employed women took time off work in the year after their most recent sexual assault (17%).

In instances where the perpetrator was a stranger:

• one in six employed women born overseas took time off work (15.5%**); and
• one in four employed women born in Australia took time off work (24.2%*).

In incidents where the perpetrator was a cohabiting partner, employed women who were born in a non-main English speaking country were twice as likely to take time off work than employed women born in Australia (18% vs 37.8%**).

Tbl A7: Additional analysis of data

See also Section 2: 2.3 Country of birth for relevant victim demographic information.

306,000 women who were sexually assaulted reported that they were unemployed or not in the workforce for the 12 months after their most recent assault. Of these women:

• 34.1% (104,500) were assaulted by a cohabiting partner;
• 53.3% (163,000)were assaulted by a known person other than a cohabiting partner; and
• 12.6% (38,600) were assaulted by a stranger.

Tbl A7: P36, L36, N36, J36

Fear and anxiety are a common response to sexual assault. Women were equally likely to experience fear and anxiety in the year after the assault if their most recent incident was perpetrated by a cohabiting partner or a stranger. However, due to the higher absolute number of assaults by known males (including boyfriends/dates), a greater number of women reported feeling fear and anxiety after assaults by this type of perpetrator.

Six out of ten women had experienced fear or anxiety after their most recent incident of sexual assault by a male: this is over half a million women (517,600, 60.7%).

Table A13: H10

When reporting their most recent incident of sexual assault by a male:

• Three quarters of women who were sexually assaulted by a male cohabiting partner reported being anxious or afraid for their personal safety during the 12 months after the incident (185,100, 74%).
• Two thirds of women who were sexual assaulted by a male stranger reported being anxious or afraid for their personal safety during the 12 months after the incident (86,200, 64.2%).
• Half of women reporting sexual assault by a known male other than a cohabiting partner reported being anxious or afraid for their personal safety during the 12 months after the incident (246,300, 52.6%).

E10, C10, G10

See also Section 3: 4.4 Psychological impacts, for detail on fear and anxiety for women who have experienced partner violence.

Graph S: Proportion and number of women who experienced anxiety and fear after their most recent sexual assault by a male: By relationship to perpetrator

Data table for Graph S:

Note: Data relates to incidents since the age of 15.

This sub-section has outlined a range of post-incident impacts of sexual assault. A fifth of women reported their most recent sexual assault to the police, with approximately 5% indicating that the perpetrator went to court. Most women spoke to someone about their assault, although disclosure was not as common for women who were sexually assaulted by their cohabiting partner. Sexual assault frequently resulted in women experiencing anxiety and fear, with women who were either in a cohabiting relationship with the perpetrator or were victimised by a stranger more likely to feel anxiety.

Using a similar report structure, the following section examines women’s experiences of partner violence.

One in four women in Australia have experienced violence by an intimate partner (broadly defined) – approximately two-thirds of these women have lived with the violent partner at some time. Of women who have lived with their violent partner, most had experienced more than one incident of violence.

Since the age of 15, two out of five women in Australia had experienced some form of violence (3,560,600, 40.8%).

Tbl 4: E13

Close to three million women, or one in three women in Australia experienced violence by a male who they knew^[8](2,943,200, 33.7%).

Tbl A1:S11

One in four women had experienced violence by a male intimate partner (broadly defined – see below) (2,194,200, 25.1%). Women who have experienced male intimate partner violence represent three quarters of women who have experienced violence by a known male.

S12

See also Section 3: Partner violence: 1.2 Violence in the last 12 months.

Graph T: Proportion of women experiencing partner violence since the age of 15: By perpetrator type

Data table for Graph T:

Note: A woman may experience violence by both a boyfriend/girlfriend/date or a cohabiting partner but will only be counted once in the intimate partner total.

Note: Intimate partner violence is an aggregate prevalence category comprised of boyfriend/girlfriend/date and cohabiting partner. Some women will have experienced violence by both a cohabiting partner and boyfriend/girlfriend/date. In order to avoid double-counting, these multi-victimised women are included only once in the intimate partner category. Data relates to incidents since the age of 15.

In order to distinguish intimate and cohabiting partner data, these data items have been coloured.

All violence

If we use a broad definition of intimate partner that includes male cohabiting partners, boyfriends and male dates, then since the age of 15:

Close to 2.2 million women have experienced at least one incident of violence by a male intimate partner: this is one in four women (25.1%).

Tbl A1: R12, S12

Physical violence

Over 1.8 million women have experienced physical violence by a male intimate partner:

Tbl A1: F12

Over 1.7 million women have experienced physical assault by a male intimate partner: this is one in five women in Australia (19.6%).

B12 C12

432,100 women reported physical threat by a male intimate partner: this is one in twenty women in Australia^[9] (4.9%).

D12 E12

Sexual violence

One in ten women in Australia have experienced sexual violence by a male intimate partner (873,000, 10%):

Tbl A1: L12

• Over 800,000 women have experienced sexual assault by a male intimate partner: this is one in 11 women (9.2%).
• 126,500 women have experienced sexual threat by a male intimate partner.

H12, I12, J12

Using the broad definition of an intimate partner, 0.3% of all women in Australia have experienced violence by a female intimate partner since the age of 15 (26,000):

Tbl A1: S22, R22

• 24,900 women reported physical violence by a female intimate partner.
• Data for women who experienced sexual violence by a female intimate partner was not reported due to data quality concerns.

F22, L22

Close to a million women have experienced violence perpetrated by a “boyfriend, girlfriend or date” (990,700). This is two thirds the number of women who reported being victimised by a cohabiting partner.^[10]

Tbl 4:D21

Approximately 1.5 million women, or 16.9% of all women in Australia, have experienced violence by a current or former cohabiting partner: this is one in six women. This equals 41.6% of women who have experienced violence at some point since the age of 15.

Tbl 4: D18 E18

16.8% of women had experienced violence perpetrated by a male partner (1,470, 200) and 0.1% by a female partner (11,100*).^[11]

Tbl 6: E20 E40

Some of the women who experienced cohabiting partner violence had also experienced violence from other types of perpetrator.

Of women who had experienced violence by a male or female cohabiting partner, 85.6% were victimised by a partner with whom they were no longer in a relationship at the time of the survey (although the vast majority experienced violence while in the relationship) (1,267,200).

Tbl 4: D20

Some women experienced violence by both a former and current partner.

Current cohabiting partner

For women who were in a relationship with their violent cohabiting partner at the time of the survey, two thirds had experienced more than one incident of abuse (154,500, 65.1%).

Tbl 22:D13

Of women who had experienced more than one incident of violence by their current partner, three out of five reported that the violence occurred “a little of the time” (93,200).

D18

Approximately 15,400* women reported that the violence happened all or most of the time. This represents:

• 10% of the women who experienced violence more than once; and
• 6.5% of women who had experienced violence once or more than once by their current cohabiting partner.

D16, Additional analysis

Women who were no longer with their abusive partner reported more frequent abuse than women who were still in a relationship with the abusive partner.

Former cohabiting partner

73% of women who had experienced violence by a former cohabiting partner reported that the violence occurred more than once: this is close to a million women (925,100).

Tbl 22:

E28, D28

Of women who had experienced abuse more than once, 347,900 women reported having experienced abuse all or most of the time, with about half this number reporting abuse that had happened a little of the time (197,200).

D31, D33

Women who had experienced the most frequent abuse (all or most of the time) represented:

• Over a third (38%) of women who experienced abuse more than once; and
• 27% of women who had experienced violence once or more than once by their former cohabiting partner violence.

Additional analysis

For more statistics related to extent of violence, please see:
Section 3: Partner violence: 3.2 How recently did violence occur?
Section 3: Partner violence: 4.1.5 Contact with police by extent of violence.
Section 3: Partner violence: 4.2.4 Advice and support: Advice seeking by extent of violence.
Section 3: Partner violence: 4.4.2 Psychological impacts: Fear by severity of violence.

The following information relates only to incidents that occurred in the 12 months prior to the woman taking the survey.

In the last 12 months, one in 20 women in Australia had experienced violence (467,300, 5.3%). Most of these women knew their perpetrator.

Tbl 3:D13

See also: Section 3: 1.1.1 Since the age of 15: All violence

Of women who experienced violence by a known person (346,400), about half experienced violence by an intimate partner (including cohabiting partners and boyfriends, girlfriends and dates) (186,900).

Tbl A2:R11, R12

One in 50 women in Australia experienced at least one incident of violence by an intimate partner in the 12 months prior to the survey (2.1%).

S12

• a cohabiting partner they remained in a relationship with (66,200, 0.8%);
• a cohabiting partner that they were separated from by the time they completed the survey (66,300, 0.8%); or
• a boyfriend, girlfriend or date (68,700, 0.8%).^[12]

R13, R14, R15

All violence

In the year prior to the survey, nine out of ten women who reported violence by an intimate partner experienced assault (sexual and/or physical). One in four reported threat (sexual and/or physical).

Tbl A2:N12, P12

84% of women who experienced intimate partner violence experienced physical violence (assault and/or threat) (157,400).

F12

One in three women who experienced intimate partner violence had at least one incident of sexual violence (assault and/or threat) in the last year (55,000).

L12

Assault only

Of women who experienced male intimate partner violence:

• Seven out of ten experienced physical assault by their cohabiting partner, boyfriend/girlfriend or date (135,900).
• 28% experience sexual assault (52,400)

B12, H12

These numbers include women who, in the 12 months prior to the survey, had experienced separate incidents of physical and sexual assault.

Comparing violence in different relationship types

More women reported having experienced sexual assault by a boyfriend/girlfriend or date than by a current cohabiting partner (24,600 vs 10,700).

Tbl A2:H15, H13

More women reported physical assault in their current cohabiting relationship (53,800) than by:

• a former partner (42,600); or
• a boyfriend/girlfriend/date (41,300).

B13, B14, B15

Of women who had experienced violence in the last year, a greater number reported physical violence than sexual violence: of these women, most had experienced at least one assault.

For more comparisons by type of perpetrator see also:
Section 3: Partner violence: 4.4.4 Fear and anxiety by type of perpetrator.
Section 2: Sexual assault: Perpetrator characteristics.

In the 12 months prior to completing the survey, 132,500 women experienced violence perpetrated by a cohabiting partner. This is 1.5% of all women in Australia, and 28.4% of women who experienced violence during this time.

Tbl 3: D18, E18

The same percentage of women experienced violence by a cohabiting partner in the 12 months prior to the 2005 and the 2012 surveys (1.5%).

Tbl 21: D12, E12

Graph U: Number of women who experienced assault during the last 12 months: By perpetrator type

Data table for Graph U:

This section outlines a range of key demographic features of victims of cohabiting and intimate partner violence. Statistically significant variation was associated with age, a lack of post-school qualifications and country of birth. No statistically significant variation was identified for the 12 month prevalence of either the categories of cohabiting or intimate partner violence for state or territory of residence, labour force participation, disability status or socio-economic status. With the exception of findings related to location, all data below relates to male partners only.

The rate of intimate and cohabiting male partner violence varied with age.

18-24 years

When compared to the rate for all ages, in the year prior to the survey young women were not at increased risk of male cohabiting partner violence (15,500, 1.4%*).

Tbl A18: B18

Tbl A17: F19

25-34 years

The highest rate of male cohabiting partner violence was found in women aged 25-34 years, possibly reflecting the tendency for women of this age to cohabit with their partners.

More than one in 40 women in this age group experienced male cohabiting partner violence in the 12 months prior to the survey (44,300, 2.7%).

Tbl A18: B19

This age group also has the highest rate of male intimate partner violence (61,200, 3.8%), with approximately one in 25 women in this age range having experienced intimate partner violence.

Tbl A17: F20

35-54 years

The rate of male cohabiting and intimate partner violence was consistent with the national rate for women aged 35-44 and 45-54 years.

Tbl A17: F21-22, Tbl A18: B20-21

Over 55 years

Older women were at decreased risk, with 0.4%* (12,800*) of women aged 55 years and older having experienced male cohabiting partner violence in the previous 12 months.^[13]

Tbl A18: B22

Tbl A18: C8 – C15, Tbl A17: G9 – G16

1.6% of women who were born in Australia experienced male cohabiting partner violence in the 12 months prior to completing the survey (94,800).

Tbl A18: B33

For women who were born overseas, the rate is 1.3% (34,600), of which the majority are from countries where English is not the main language (27,100*).

C34 C36

The rate of male cohabiting partner violence experienced by women from main English speaking countries (7,500*, 0.8%*) was about half that of women from countries where English was not the main language (27,100*,1.5%).

C35 C36

The pattern was more marked when we consider the broader category of intimate partners:

Women born in Australia had the highest reported rate of male intimate partner violence (136,100, 2.3%), while women born in other English speaking countries had the lowest (11,600*, 1.2%*).

Tbl A17:F34 F36

Information on the definition of “main English speaking country” is in Section 2: Sexual assault: 2.3 Country of birth.

In the year prior to the survey, there was no difference in the rate of male cohabiting partner violence experienced by women who were employed and those that were unemployed or not in the labour force: the rate of sexual assault experienced for both groups in the 12 months prior to the survey was 1.5%.

Tbl A18: C25 – C26

When considering the broader definition of intimate partner violence, there is a statistically insignificant variation between women who were employed and women who were unemployed or not in the workforce (112,500, 2.3% vs 68,300, 1.8%).

Tbl A17: G26 – G27

Information on the definition of labour force is in Section 2: 2.4 Labour force participation.

Tbl A18: C29 C30

Tbl A17: G31 G30

Graph V: Proportion of women who experienced male partner violence in the last 12 months: By partner type and sociodemographic characteristics

Data table for Graph V – Cohabiting Partner:

Data table for Graph V – Intimate Partner:

Note: Includes only sociodemographic characteristics with a 12 month partner violence rate that is statistically significantly different from the national 12 month partner violence rate

Women with a disability were more likely to experience male partner violence in the year prior to the survey when compared to women without a disability. This is true for both:

the narrow definition of cohabiting partner (51,200, 1.8% vs 78,300, 1.3%); and

Tbl A18: C53 – C54

the broader definition of intimate partner (73,900, 2.6% vs 106,800, 1.8%).

Tbl A17: G54 – G55

Women with a disability represent about 40% of all female victims of cohabiting and intimate partner violence and 32.3% of the entire survey respondent population (those who had, and had not, experienced violence).

Information on the definition of disability is in Section 2: 2.6: Disability status.

The PSS provides mixed evidence regarding the socioeconomic characteristics of women who experience partner violence. A consistent, but statistically insignificant decrease in violence was seen with increased household income for male cohabiting partner violence and the increased ranking in the Socio-Economic Index of Advantage/Disadvantage for male intimate partner violence.

However, these patterns did not hold for:

• household weekly income for intimate partner violence; and
• the index of advantage/disadvantage for cohabiting partner violence.

Information on the measures of SES status is in Section 2: 2.7 Socio-economic status.

Household weekly income

The rate of male cohabiting partner violence decreased with higher household weekly earnings:

For women with household incomes in the bottom 40%, the rate of cohabiting partner violence was 1.8%.

Tbl A18: C39 – C40

The rate was 1.7% (22,800) for women with an average income (between 40% and 60%).

C41

The rate was 1.6%* (18,700*) for those with a bit more money than most (top 20-40%) and 1.4% (15,600) for those who have the most household income (top 20%).

C42 C43

Socio-Economic Index of Advantage/Disadvantage

The same pattern was present when considering the more expansive cohort of intimate partner violence and the Socio-Economic Index of Advantage/Disadvantage.

The rate of male intimate partner violence in the last 12 months for the most disadvantaged women (lowest quintile) was 2.9% (40,500). For the most advantaged women (in the most advantaged two quintiles), the rate of intimate partner violence was 1.6%.

Tbl A17: G47 – G51

Women who lived outside capital cities at the time of the survey (84,400, 1.5%) experienced the same rate of cohabiting partner violence in the previous year as women who lived in capital cities (48,000, 1.6%). These estimates include both opposite and same sex partners.

Tbl A22: I8 – I9

For further data by demographic characteristics of victims, see:
Section 1: 2. Victim demographics
Section 2: 2. Victim demographics
Section 3: 4.1.1 Contact with police by victim demographics
Section 3: 4.2.3 Advice seeking by victim demographics
Section 4: 2. Victim demographics

This sub-section describes the characteristics of the partner violence incidents. The majority of incidents involved physical violence, most of which was physical assault (rather than threat only). About half the women who reported having experienced violence by their current cohabiting partner also reported emotional abuse. A similar percentage reported that alcohol/drug use contributed to their most recent incident of violence. Almost all incidents occurred in a private residence. The majority of women who had children in their care at the time of violence reported that their children heard or saw the violence. Most women reported that their most recent incident of cohabiting partner violence occurred more than ten years ago.

Intimate partner violence may involve physical and/or sexual violence.

More women reported that their partner (male or female) perpetrated physical violence than sexual violence, although some women may have experienced both types of violence.

Most women reported physical violence from a former cohabiting partner:

• 226,800 women experienced physical violence by a current male cohabiting partner;
• 1,149,000 women experienced physical violence by a former male cohabiting partner; and
• 580,300 women experienced physical violence by a boyfriend or date.

F13, F14, F15

Women who are counted in the PSS as having experienced physical violence may have experienced physical assault, physical threat or both.

Physical assault

Nine out of ten women who reported physical violence by a male intimate partner indicated that they experienced physical assault. This was true for current cohabiting partner, former cohabiting partner and boyfriend/date.

Tbl A1: B13 – B15

Physical threat

Of women who had experienced male intimate partner physical violence, between one in six (boyfriend or date) and one in four (former cohabiting partner) women had experienced physical threat.

D13 – D15

Most women reported sexual violence from a boyfriend or date:

• 44,900 women experienced sexual violence by a current male cohabiting partner;
• 382,000 women experienced sexual violence by a former male cohabiting partner; and

516,600 women experienced sexual violence by a boyfriend or date.

L13, L14, L15

Sexual assault

Of women who have experienced intimate male partner sexual violence, between 91% (boyfriend or date) and 98.4% (current cohabiting partner) women had experienced sexual assault.

H13 – H15

Sexual threat

Of women who have experienced male intimate partner sexual violence, one in six women had experienced sexual threat by a former cohabiting partner.

J13 – J15

For more detail of prevalence of sexual assault by a partner, see: Section 2: Sexual assault: 1 Prevalence.

The majority of cohabiting partner violence occured 10 or more years ago.

For women who had experienced male cohabiting partner violence:

• Six out of ten said that the most recent incident of this form of violence occurred ten or more years ago (880,100, 59.9%).
• One in six (15.8%) respondents said their most recent incident of male cohabiting partner violence occurred less than two years ago. Of these:
• one in nine (8.8%) said their most recent incident occurred in the 12 months prior to the survey.

Tbl A19: R14 – R1,5 R9 – R10, R9

Graph W: Women who experienced cohabiting partner violence since the age of 15, when the most recent incident occurred

Data table for Graph W:

Note: Data relates to incidents since the age of 15.

Emotional abuse is a common aspect of abusive relationships. About half the women who reported that they had experienced violence by their current cohabiting partner also reported that they had experienced emotional abuse by that partner (assuming that they did not have more than one current partner that they were living with).

Former or current cohabiting partner

Over 2.1 million women in Australia had experienced at least one incident of emotional abuse by a former or current cohabiting partner since the age of 15: this is one in four women in Australia (24.5%).

Tbl 32: E22

Former cohabiting partner only

Approximately 1.8 million women reported that they had experienced emotional abuse from a partner they were no longer in a relationship with: this is one in five women in Australia (1,840,600, 21.1%).

D24

Current cohabiting partner only

Since the age of 15, an estimated 392,100 women have experienced emotional abuse from a cohabiting partner who they were in a relationship with at the time of the survey: this is one in 22 women (4.5%).

D23, E23

One in 20 women in Australia had experienced emotional abuse by a former or current partner in the 12 months prior to the survey (406,800, 4.7%).

Tbl 32:E13

Approximately half of these women had experienced emotional abuse by their current cohabiting partner in the 12 months prior to the survey (217,000, 2.5%).

E14

The other half experienced emotional abuse by a former cohabiting partner (191,300, 2.2%).

E15

Three out of four women had experienced anxiety or fear due to emotional abuse by a former cohabiting male partner (1,382,600, 76.3%).

Tbl 33:B18

Three out of five women experienced anxiety or fear when this abuse was by:

• a current male cohabiting partner (243,700, 62.5%); or
• a former female cohabiting partner (23,300*, 62.5%).

B16 B19

Graph X: Number of women who have experienced violence, emotional abuse or both from a current cohabiting partner

Data table for Graph X:

Note: Data relates to incidents since the age of 15.

About half the women who reported having experienced violence by their current cohabiting partner also reported emotional abuse.

Two thirds of women who had experienced emotional abuse by their current cohabiting partner had not experienced violence by that partner.

Below we examine the interaction between violence and emotional abuse in more detail.

See below for references

Current cohabiting partner emotional abuse and violence

Current cohabiting partner emotional abuse but not violence

Current cohabiting partner violence but not emotional abuse

Current cohabiting partner emotional abuse or violence

Current cohabiting partner emotional abuse and violence

Current cohabiting partner emotional abuse or violence

See also: Section 3: Partner Violence: 4.4 Psychological impacts.

Most women who reported experiencing emotional abuse reported being anxious or fearful due to the abuse. Although emotional abuse is common in relationships that have included at least one incident of violence, it is certainly not a universal feature of these relationships.

The following data refers to a woman’s most recent incident of violence by a male perpetrator (MRIMP). See A (very) partial picture above for information about how this information is collected.

Where a woman’s MRIMP was perpetrated by a male cohabiting partner, about 50% of respondents reported that alcohol/drugs contributed to the most recent incident.

For information about alcohol use in relation to sexual assault, including cohabiting partner sexual assault, see Section 2: 4.2 Alcohol and other drugs.

Three quarters of a million women reported that their MRIMP of physical assault was perpetrated by a cohabiting partner and occurred in a private residence. A quarter of a million women reported that their MRIMP of sexual assault by a cohabiting partner occurred in the same location.

Tbl A5: B12 B26

For more information about location of incidents in relation to sexual assault, including partner sexual assault, see Section 2: 4.3 Location of incident.

Graph Y: Proportion of women victims, location of most recent incident of assault by a male, where assault perpetrated by cohabiting partner: By violence type and location

Data table for Graph Y:

Note: Data relates to incidents since the age of 15. Data limited to women whose most recent incident of assault was by a cohabiting partner – this data will exclude women who experienced assault by a cohabiting partner if this violence was not their most recent physical/sexual assault by a male.

An estimated 180,600 women had experienced violence by a current cohabiting partner and were pregnant during the relationship. One in five (21.7%) of these women experienced violence during their pregnancy: four out of five of these women did not experience violence while they were pregnant.

Tbl 27: B16

Of the 39,100 women who did experience violence during pregnancy, three out of five (24,000*, 61.4%) experienced violence for the first time during pregnancy.

B14 B12

More women reported that they experienced violence by a former cohabiting partner than a current cohabiting partner during pregnancy (see below).

This data is also represented in the flowchart below.

Figure E: Violence and pregnancy: Current cohabiting partner flowchart

Text alternative for Figure E:

Women who experienced current cohabiting partner violence

237,100

Women who were pregnant during their relationship

(Unknown – this statistic not collected with the PSS sample)

Women who experienced violence and were pregnant during their relationship

180,600 (100%)

Women who experienced violence WHILE pregnant

39,100 (21.7%)

Women who DID NOT experience violence WHILE pregnant

141,500 (78.3%)

Women who experience violence for the first time while pregnant

24,000* (13.3%)

Women who did not experience violence for the first time while pregnant

15,100* (8.4%)

More than three quarters of a million women were pregnant during their relationship and experienced violence perpetrated by a former cohabiting partner (i.e. a partner they have since broken up with).

Tbl 27: D16

More than half of these women experienced violence during their pregnancy (414,600, 53.9%).

E14

Of the women who experienced violence during their pregnancy, slightly less than half experienced violence for the first time during pregnancy (195,500, 47.1%). This represents a quarter of the women who were pregnant during their violent relationship.

E12

This data is also represented in the flowchart below.

Figure F: Violence and pregnancy: Former cohabiting partner flowchart

Text alternative for Figure F:

Women who experienced former cohabiting partner violence

1,267,200

Women who were pregnant during their relationship

(Unknown – this statistic not collected with the PSS sample)

Women who experienced violence and were pregnant during their relationship

768,800 (100%)

Women who experienced violence WHILE pregnant

414,600 (53.9%)

Women who DID NOT experience violence WHILE pregnant

354,200 (46.1%)

Women who experience violence for the first time while pregnant

195,500 (25.4%)

Women who did not experience violence for the first time while pregnant

219,000 (28.5%)

Most women who had children in their care during a violent relationship said that the children heard or saw the violence.

Just over half of women who experienced violence by a current cohabiting partner had children in their care at the time of the violence (128,500, 54.2%). For 57.8% of women in this group, the children heard or saw the violence (74,300).

Tbl 28:D13 D15

This data is also represented in the following flowchart.

Figure G: Violence witnessed by children: Current cohabiting partner flowchart

Text alternative for Figure G:

Women who experienced current cohabiting partner violence

237,100

Women who had children in their care during their relationship

(Unknown – this statistic not collected with the PSS sample)

Women who experienced violence and had children in their care when the violence happened

128,500 (100%)

Children heard or saw the violence

74,300 (57.8%)

Children did not hear or see the violence

54,200 (42.2%)

Close to three quarter of a million women who have since left their violent cohabiting partner had children in their care when the violence occurred (733,900). Over half a million of these women reported that their children had seen or heard the violence (568,700): this is 77.5% of women who had children in their care at the time of the violence.

Tbl 28:D22 D24

This data is also represented in the flowchart below.

Figure H: Violence witnessed by children: Former cohabiting partner flowchart

Text alternative for Figure H:

Women who experienced former cohabiting partner violence

1,267,200

Women who had children in their care during their relationship

(Unknown – this statistic not collected with the PSS sample)

Women who experienced violence and had children in their care when the violence happened

733,900 (100%)

Children heard or saw the violence

568,700 (77.5%)

Children did not hear or see the violence

165,200 (22.6%)

For more information on the impact of violence on children, please see Section 3: Partner violence: 4.5 Separations.

Cohabiting partner violence is often witnessed by children, tends to involve alcohol/drug use that is assessed by the victim to have contributed to the incident, and almost always occurs in the home. Such violence is most often a physical assault. When women experience emotional abuse (either as part of the violence or in contexts where there is no violence), they are often frightened.

When their most recent assault by a male (MRIMP) was perpetrated by a cohabiting partner, most women did not contact police. Of those who did contact the police, most indicated that the perpetrator was not charged. The majority of women had told someone about their MRIMP physical assault. A greater proportion of women took time off work because of their MRIMP physical assault by a male cohabiting partner than after a physical assault by a stranger or other known person. Unsurprisingly, women who experienced more violence also experienced more fear and anxiety about the violence. Most women did not permanently leave their violent partner the first time that they separated.

There are many steps from experiencing an assault to having someone convicted for that crime. The PSS collects data for different stages of that journey. In comparison to women whose MRIMP assault was a sexual assault by a cohabiting partner, more women who were physically assaulted engaged with the criminal justice system.

The following flow charts relate to a woman’s most recent incident of either physical or sexual assault by a male.

Graph Z: Women’s most recent assault by a cohabiting partner, whether incident perceived as crime at the time and police involvement: By assault type

Data table for Graph Z:

Note: Data relates to incidents since the age of 15. Data limited to women whose most recent incident of assault was by a cohabiting partner – this data will exclude women who experienced assault by a cohabiting partner if this violence was not their most recent physical/sexual assault by a male.

Below we provide three flowcharts outlining the stages of a woman’s engagement with the police and court system(s). The first flowchart is a summary of the available data, while the second provides detailed information on physical assault and the third provides the same detail for sexual assault.

Please note that this information is limited to instances of assault (i.e., it does not include threat and therefore is not an account of “violence”).

Figure I: Violence by a male cohabiting partner (summary): Police to court flowchart

Based on Tbl A8.

Data table for figure I:

Note: A small number of women who did not perceive the assault as a crime contacted the police.

Figure J: Most recent incident of physical assault by a male cohabiting partner (detailed): Police to court flowchart

Based on Tbl A8.

Data table for figure J:

Women whose most recent incident of physical assault was by a male cohabiting partner.

Physical assault: 814,100

Note: A small number of women who did not perceive the assault as a crime contacted the police

Figure K: Most recent sexual assault by a male cohabiting partner (detailed): Police to court flowchart

Based on Tbl A8.

Data table for Figure K:

Women whose most recent incident of sexual assault was by a male cohabiting partner

Sexual assault: 250,300

Note: A small number of women who did not perceive the assault as a crime contacted the police

In general, women who reported demographic characteristics typically associated with social disadvantage contacted the police more than women who reported characteristics that are typically associated with social advantage. Specifically, a higher proportion of women contacted police who were:

• unemployed or not in the workforce;
• did not have post-school qualifications;
• were born overseas; and/or
• had a disability.

Compared to women reporting current partner violence, a higher percentage of women reported that they had contacted police about violence perpetrated by a former partner.

The following information is regarding women’s contact with the police in the 12 months prior to the survey regarding male cohabiting partner violence:

Graph AA: During the last 12 months, proportion of women who experienced former cohabiting partner violence who contacted police about the violence: By sociodemographic characteristics

Data tables for Graph AA:

Note: Data relates to incidents in the 12 months prior to the survey.

Table L: Women who experienced male cohabiting partner violence in the last 12 months who contacted police about the violence: By sociodemographic characteristics

Of women who have experienced cohabiting partner violence:

Table A23

For further data by demographic characteristics of perpetrators, see:
Section 3: 2: Victim demographics: Who does violence happen to?
Section 3: 4.2.3 Advice seeking by victim demographics.

Graph AB: Proportion of women who contacted police about male cohabiting partner violence: By number of incidents

Data tables for Graph AB:

Note: Data relates to incidents since the age of 15.

Women were more likely to contact police about male cohabiting partner violence when there has been more than one incident of violence.

Current male cohabiting partner

One in 13 women who had experienced a single incident of current male cohabiting partner violence reported the incident to police (6,400*, 7.8%*). In contrast, one in four women who had experienced more than one incident had contacted the police at least once (40,600, 26.3%).

Tbl A28:C13 E13

Former male cohabiting partner

A similar pattern was seen for previous male cohabiting partner violence, with one in four (82,300, 24.2%) women contacting police where there had been a single incident only, and one in two (451,000, 49.2%) women having contacted policed when they had experienced more than one incident.

C22 E22

For more statistics related to extent of violence, please see:
Section 3: Partner violence: Frequency: 1.1.4.3 Extent of violence.
Section 3: Partner violence: 3.2: How recently did violence occur?
Section 3: Partner violence: 4.2.4 Advice and support: Advice seeking by extent of violence.
Section 3: Partner violence: 4.4.2 Psychological impacts: Fear by severity of violence.
For more information about contact with police, please see Section 2: Sexual assault: Police and court contact.

Most women who had experienced cohabiting partner violence talked to someone about their most recent physical assault by a partner, however more women did not disclose this type of assault than assaults by other types of perpetrators. The most common source of advice and support was a friend, family member, work colleague or a person providing pastoral care.

The information below on advice and support relates to women’s most recent incident of specific types of violence. It is separated by violence type. Due to the method of data collection, it is not possible to add together data about different violence types as women may have experienced more than one form of violence.

The following data refers to the most recent physical assault a women experienced by a male perpetrator (MRIMP). See “A very partial picture” for information about how this information is collected.

Told no one

Where a woman’s MRIMP physical assault was perpetrated by a male cohabiting partner, one in nine women have not told anyone about the assault (91,300, 11.2%).

This is higher than the number of women who didn’t tell anyone when their MRIMP physical assault was perpetrated by:

• a stranger (10,400*, 4.4%*); or
• an “other known male”^[15] (58,800, 8.8%).

Tbl A9:E31 C31 G31

Who first told

Of the 722,800 women who have told someone about their MRIMP physical assault (where it was perpetrated by a male cohabiting partner):

• Just under two thirds first disclosed the incident to a friend, family member, work colleague or minister of religion (457,600).
• One in six women told the police first (121,600).
• One in ten women told a general practitioner or other health professional first (68,200).

Tbl A9:D29 D27 D24

Please see Section 2: 5.2 Advice and support for detail on help seeking for women who experience partner sexual assault.

Graph AC: Proportion of women who have experienced physical assault by a male cohabiting partner: First person told about most recent incident, by broad category

Data table for Graph AC:

Note: Data relates to incidents since the age of 15.

Formal support includes counsellors, police, health professional etc.

Informal support includes family members, friends etc.

The percentage is not statistically different to when the MRIMP physical assault was perpetrated by:

• a stranger (151,800, 64.7%); or
• an other known male (442,700, 66.3%).

Tbl A9:E11 C11 F11

Source of advice or support

Half of women whose most recent physical assault was by a male cohabiting partner sought advice and support from a friend, family member, work colleague or minister of religion (410,800). This represents seven out of ten women who sought advice or support about this type of violence.

About one in four women sought advice from:

• a general practitioner or other health professional (196,500, 24.1%); or
• a counsellor, support worker or telephone hotline (192,400, 23.6%).

Tbl A9:E20 E15 E16

There was a similar pattern of support seeking when a physical assault was perpetrated by a cohabiting partner, stranger or other known person (see table opposite).

The table below outlines the most common sources of support by perpetrator type for a woman’s most recent incident of physical assault by a male. Women may have sought support and advice from multiple sources.

Table M: Women’s most recent incident of physical assault by a male perpetrator, sources of support: By relationship to perpetrator

Please see Section 2: 5.2 Advice and support for detail on help seeking for women who experience partner sexual assault.

In general, women who reported demographic characteristics that were typically associated with social disadvantage accessed more support and advice than women in situations generally associated with social advantage.

This trend held for both current and former cohabiting partner violence.

There were two exceptions to this:

• Employment status – for women who had experienced former cohabiting partner violence, women who were employed sought advice more often than women who were unemployed or not in the workforce; and
• Disability status – for women who had experienced former cohabiting partner violence, women who did not have a disability or long-term health condition sought advice more often than women who had a disability or long-term health condition.

It is plausible that these two exceptions may reflect the relatively greater social connectedness of women who are employed and/or do not have a disability or long-term health condition.

For all sociodemographic characteristics, the same or higher proportion of women reported accessing services for former partner violence than current partner violence.

The following information is regarding women’s seeking of advice and support in the last 12 months regarding male cohabiting partner violence.

Of women who have experienced cohabiting violence:

Table N: Women who experienced male cohabiting partner violence in the last 12 months who sought advice and support about the violence: By sociodemographic characteristics

Table A28

Note: Proportions have been rounded to deciles (“out of ten”) to assist with comparisons across groups.

For further data by demographic characteristics of victims, see:
Section 3: 2: Victim characteristics.
Section 3: 4.1.4 Contact with police by victim demographics.

Women were more likely to seek advice and support about violence when they had experienced more than one incident.

Current male cohabiting partner

One in two women who experienced a single incident of current male cohabiting partner violence sought advice or support about the incident (41,500, 50.2%).

Tbl A28:C10

Two out of three women who experienced more than one incident sought advice and support about the violence (103,100, 66.8%).

E10

Former male cohabiting partner

A similar pattern was seen for previous male cohabiting partner violence, with:

• two thirds of women (227,600, 67%) seeking advice or support where there had been a single incident only; and
• eight out of ten women (727,800, 79.4%) who had experienced more than one incident seeking advice or support.

C19 E19

For more statistics related to extent of violence, please see:
Section 3: 1.1.4.3 Extent of violence.
Section 3: 3.2: How recently did violence occur?
Section 3: 4.2.4 Advice seeking by extent of violence.
Section 3: 4.4.2 Fear by severity of violence.

Most employed women continued to attend work after their most recent assault by a cohabiting partner.

By violence type

Survey participants were asked if they took time off work in the 12 months after their most recent assault, where this most recent incident by a male was perpetrated by a cohabiting partner. This leave was “as a result of the incident” and not just general time off work.

145,700 women who had been physically assaulted by a male cohabiting partner, took time off work in the 12 months after the incident. This is over one in four women who were employed during this time and who had experienced this type of violence.

Tbl A6:D15

One in five (19.8%) employed women who had been sexually assaulted by a male cohabiting partner took time off as a result of their most recent assault (29,000).

D32

By perpetrator type

A greater proportion of women took time off work because of their most recent physical assault by a male cohabiting partner than after a physical assault by a stranger or other known person.

Rows 15, 32

Country of birth

See also: Section 3: 2.3 Country of birth for relevant victim demographic information.

See also: Section 3: 4.5: Separations for data related to whether women move away from their family home.

The psychological impacts of cohabiting partner violence are significant. Women who live with their perpetrator reported feeling fear and anxiety after their most recent incident of violence at a higher rate than women who experienced violence by a known male (excluding cohabiting partner) or stranger. Women reported more fear and anxiety when they experienced violence more frequently.

Graph AD: Proportion of women who experienced anxiety or fear due to previous partner violence: By how often violence occurred and how often anxiety and fear experienced

Data tables for Graph AD:

Violence occurred all the time – How often felt fear or anxiety

Violence occurred a little of the time – How often felt fear or anxiety

Note: Data relates to incidents since the age of 15.

Ever experienced anxiety

Seven out of ten women who had ever experienced violence by a male previous cohabiting partner reported that they had experienced anxiety or fear due to the violence: this is just over 900,000 women (71.9%).

Tbl A26:C7

Of these women who had experienced fear or anxiety, a little over half (54%) experienced fear all or most of the time: this is close to half a million women (488,500).

C12-13

Anxiety in the 12 months prior to the survey

In the 12 months prior to the survey, one out of five women who had ever experienced violence by a male previous partner reported that they felt anxiety or fear due to the violence: this is a bit over a quarter of a million women (273,500, 21.8%). Many of these women would have experienced their most recent incident of violence more than a year ago.

C19

Of these women who had experienced fear or anxiety, about four out of ten (38.2%) experienced fear all or most of the time: this was 104,500 women.

C24 – 25

The PSS asks women about how frequently they have experienced violence by a previous cohabiting partner. The survey also asks how often they have felt anxiety or fear due to violence. When these two answers are cross-tabulated, we can see the relationship between the frequency of violence and the amount of fear that women experience.

Women who had experienced more frequent violence also experienced more frequent fear or anxiety.

Of women who had experienced violence by their previous cohabiting male partner all of the time:

• Eight out of ten experienced fear or anxiety all or most of the time (67,300, 80.2%), of which six out of ten had experienced fear all of the time (51,300, 61.1%).
• One in 14 experienced fear only a little of the time or once only (6,000*, 7.1%*).

Tbl A27:B9, D9, H9

One in eight women who experienced infrequent violence (a little of the time or once only) experienced anxiety all of the time (38,000, 12.9%).

C12

For more statistics related to extent of violence, please see:
Section 3: 1.1.4.3 Extent of violence.
Section 3: 3.2 How recently did violence occur?
Section 3: 4.1.5 Contact with police by extent of violence.
Section 3: 4.2.4 Advice seeking by extent of violence.

• Two thirds of incidents of physical assault (538,000, 66.1%); and
• Three quarters of cases of sexual assault (185,100, 74%), physical threat (158,300, 73%) and sexual threat (32,700, 74.9%).

Tbl A6:E11, E28, E22, E39

Women were most likely to experience fear and anxiety after their most recent incident of violence if that violence was perpetrated by a male cohabiting partner (when compared to incidents perpetrated by male strangers or known males). This trend is seen for all types of violence identified in the PSS (physical assault, physical threat, sexual assault and sexual threat).

Tbl A6: Rows 11, 22, 28, 39

Graph AE: Proportion of women experiencing anxiety or fear after the most recent incident of violence by a male perpetrator: By violence type and perpetrator type

Data tables for Graph AE:

Note: Data relates to incidents since the age of 15.

Table O: Proportion (estimate) of women experiencing anxiety or fear after the most recent incident: By violence type and perpetrator type

Note: Limited to male perpetrators

Two thirds of women had changes in routine due to their fear or anxiety as a result of former male cohabiting partner violence. The following were the most common changes in routine:

• sleeping habits (103,000, 37.7%);
• social/leisure activities (97,900, 35.8%); and
• building or maintaining relationships (83,000, 30.3%).

Tbl A26:C39 C31 C37

About half of women who are no longer in a relationship with their violent partner reported that they separated several times prior to the final separation.

Women returned to violent relationships for a range of reasons, with the three most common being that the partner promised to stop assaults, threats or abuse; commitment to relationship; and, for the sake of the children. About half of women who reported experiencing violence from their cohabiting partner indicated that the violence was the main reason for their separation (regardless of if it was a temporary or final separation). A quarter of women reported that the violence increased after their final separation.

149,200 women who experienced violence by their current partner had never separated from their current partner. Just over half of these women (81,900, 54.9%) wanted to leave their current partner but never had.

Tbl 29: B66 C63

Temporarily separated

87,900 women who had experienced violence in their current relationship had temporarily separated from their current cohabiting partner. This is 37.1% of women who were currently in a relationship that had involved at least one incident of violence. The vast majority (75,100, 85.4%) of these women did not experience violence while separated.

B34 C34 B42

Moved away

Approximately half the women who separated from their partner moved out of their home (45,600, 51.9%). Of these women, three quarters stayed at a friend or relative’s house (35,000, 76.8%).

B48 B55

Experienced violence

12,800* women experienced violence while temporarily separated from their current partner.

B41

Temporarily separated

Of women who are no longer in a relationship with their most recently violent previous male cohabiting partner, half had temporarily separated at least once prior to the final break up (594,200, 50.1%).

Tbl A24:C7

Of women who had temporarily separated from a violent former partner:

• a third had one temporary separation (199,800, 33.6%);
• a third separated two or three times (206,000, 34.7%); and
• a third separated more than three times (188,000, 31.6%).

C12 C13-14 C15

Violence while separated

Two out of five women experienced violence while temporarily separated from their violent former male cohabiting partner (242,100, 40.7%).

C19

Six out of ten women who experienced violence while temporarily separated reported an increase in violence during the separation (138,200):

• 76,500 women had experienced an increase in violence during a temporary separation: this is one in three women who experienced violence while temporarily separated from a male previous partner;
• An additional 61,300 women had experienced violence for the first time during the temporary separation: this is one in four women who had experienced violence while temporarily separated from a male previous partner.

Aditional analysis, B29, B24

Graph AF: Women who had temporary separations from their most recently violent previous male cohabiting partner: Number of temporary separations prior to final separation

Data table for Graph AF:

Note: Data relates to incidents since the age of 15. Does not add to 100% due to rounding.

Moved away

Two thirds of women who had temporarily separated from their most recently violent previous male cohabiting partner, had moved away from their home during the temporary separation (378,300, 63.7%).

Tbl A24:C34

When women could list all the places that they stayed during temporary separations:

• Four out of five women said they stayed with a friend or family member (301,700, 79.7%);
• Three out of ten (103,500, 27.4%) said they relocated to a new house or rental property;
• One in seven stayed at a shelter or refuge (54, 600, 14.4%); and
• One in 12 slept rough, such as on the street, in a car, in a tent or squatted in an abandoned building (30,600, 8.1%).

C39 C43 C40 C42

Common reasons for returning

Women reported the same top three reasons for returning to a violent male partner, regardless of whether or not they were permanently separated from their partner at the time of the survey. When women could give multiple answers, the most common reasons were:

• partner promised to stop assaults, threats or abuse;
• commitment to relationship; and
• sake of the children.

The order of these priorities varied depending on whether the woman was describing returning to:

• a partner they were still with at the time of the survey (current cohabiting partner); or
• a partner they were no longer in a relationship with (former cohabiting partner).

Women returning to a current cohabiting partner were most likely to say that commitment to the relationship was a reason for returning to the relationship (40,900, 46.5%).

Tbl A25: C22

In contrast, the most common reason for returning to a former partner was the partner’s promise to stop the assaults, threats or abuse (267,800, 45.1%).

Tbl A24: C48

Graph AG: Proportion of women who experienced male cohabiting partner violence, top three reasons for returning to partner after temporary separation: By partner type

Data table for Graph AG:

Note: Respondents could nominate more than one reason for returning. Data relates to incidents since the age of 15.

Uncommon reasons for returning

There are a number of less common reasons given for women returning to their violent cohabiting partner.

When women could give multiple answers, and of women who had temporarily separated from a violent previous male partner:

• one in eight said they returned because they had no money/financial support (70,800, 11.9%);
• one in 12 said they returned because they had nowhere to go (51,500, 8.7%);
• one in 14 said they returned because of shame or embarrassment (41,000, 6.9%); and
• one in eight said they returned because of fear of their partner (71,600, 12%).

Tbl A24:C49, C50, C52, C53

The characteristics were similar for temporary and final separations from a former violent cohabiting partner.

Violence after final separation

For a quarter of the women who had experienced violence in their relationship with a male, the violence increased after the final separation (217,500, 24.4%).

Tbl A24:C69

Moved away

Consistent with temporary separations, two out of three women moved away from their homes at the end of their relationship with a violent male cohabiting partner (731,900, 61.8%). Two thirds of these women stayed with friends or family (464,600, 63.5%). However, unlike temporary separations, 42.6% (311,900) relocated to a new home (including a rental property).

C74, C79, C83

Less stable accommodation may have been experienced by some women, including those who stayed at:

• a refuge or shelter (57,000, 7.8%);
• motel, hotel, boarding house etc. (45,500, 6.2%); and
• slept rough (on street, in car, squatted etc.) (12,100*, 1.7%*).

C80, C81, C82

Loss of assets

Over half a million women left property or assets behind when they left the relationship with their most recent violent previous partner: this is seven out of ten women who experienced violence in a previous relationship.

C88

The PSS asks women for the main reason for their most recent separation from a violent partner. In this question, the respondent is only able to give one answer, meaning that the total is 100%.

Regardless of whether the woman ultimately returned to her partner or not, about half of the women said that the main reason for leaving was their partner’s assaults, threat or abuse towards themselves or their children.

One in eight women who had permanently separated from a violent previous partner gave “better life for children” as their main reason for leaving (152,700, 12.9%). One in 20 women who had temporarily separated from their current partner gave this reason (4,600*, 5.2%*).

One in 14 women who had permanently separated from a violent previous partner said that their partner initiated the separation (and gave this as the main reason for separation) (85,900, 7.2%). One in nine women who had temporarily separated from their current partner gave this reason (9,900*, 11.2%*).

Tbl A24: C59, Tbl A25: C12, Tbl A24: C60, Tbl A25: C13, Tbl A24: C62, Tbl A25: C14,

The nature of cohabiting partner violence, including the practical realities of living with the perpetrator, make the impacts of this form of violence potentially more complex than the impacts of violence committed by people with a different type of relationship to the victim. The PSS highlights the high number of women who experience fear in their cohabiting violent relationships, while simultaneously noting the relatively low rate of contact with police. A large number of women do not want to leave their violent partners, but when they do, they often have several temporary separations prior to the final breakup.

In the following section we examine data related to women’s experiences of multiple victimisations. This analysis includes repeat victimisation in adulthood, as well as victimisation as both a child and an adult.

The majority of women who had experienced sexual violence had also experienced physical violence.

Physical violence and sexual violence

Tbl A35: N18

When we narrow to instances of assault only, 944,200 women had experienced both sexual and physical assault. This is:

• 36.2% women who had experienced physical assault;
• 63.2% of women who had experienced sexual assault; and
• 10.8% of all women in Australia.

B10

Physical violence and sexual violence

When we narrow to instances of assault only, 29,100 women had experienced both sexual and physical assault. This is:

• 11% of women who had experienced physical assault in the last 12 months; and
• 33.1% of women who had experienced sexual assault in the last 12 months.

B22 C22

Graph AH : Women who experienced both sexual and physical violence as a number and proportion of all victims: By violence type

Data table for Graph AH:

Note: Data relates to incidents since the age of 15.

Since the age of 15, close to 1 million women have experienced multiple incidents of sexual violence. The majority of women reported that the incidents were perpetrated by different men.

944,000 women had experienced more than one incident of sexual violence by a male perpetrator since the age of 15.

Tbl A33: L31

This is:

• 56.1% of women who had experienced sexual violence; and
• 10.8% of all women in Australia;

M31

The majority of women who experienced multiple incidents of sexual assault reported that the violence was perpetrated by different men (515,800).

Tbl A34: F31

Of women who had experienced multiple incidents of sexual assault by a male perpetrator (839,400):

• More than one third reported that these incidents were all perpetrated by the same man (323,600).
• Two thirds reported that the incidents were perpetrated by different men. This is:
• 515,800 women; and
• one in 17 women in Australia.

F32, F30, F31

Country of birth

A small amount of analysis was possible by demographic characteristics of the female victim.

A small number of women have experienced a single scenario of violence that involved multiple perpetrators (e.g. a gang rape). This would be classified in the survey as multiple incidents by multiple persons.

1.7 million women have experienced multiple incidents of physical violence by a male perpetrator, with the majority of these women reporting that all incidents were perpetrated by the same man.

1,747,400 women had experienced more than one incident of physical violence by a male perpetrator since the age of 15.

Tbl A33: F31

This is:

• 63.5% of women who had experienced physical violence; and
• one in five women in Australia (20%).

G31

The majority of women who had experienced multiple incidents of physical assault reported that the violence was perpetrated by the same man.

Of women who had experienced multiple incidents of physical assault by a male perpetrator (1,453,100):

• Two thirds reported that these incidents were all perpetrated by the same man. This is:
• 961,500 women; and
• One in nine women in Australia.
• One third reported that the incidents were perpetrated by different men (491,600).

Tbl A34:B32, B30, B31

By country of birth

Graph AI: Number of women who experienced multiple incidents of violence by a male perpetrator: By same or different perpetrator

Data table for Graph AI:

Note: Data relates to incidents since the age of 15.

Since the age of 15, one quarter of all women in Australia have experienced more than one incident of violence.

Since the age of 15, almost 2.3 million women have experienced more than one incident of violence by a male perpetrator. This represents:

• two thirds of women who had experienced violence by a male perpetrator as an adult (67.8%); and
• one in four women in Australia (26%).

Tbl A33: N31 O31

Four out of five women who had experienced violence by a male perpetrator in the year prior to the survey reported having experienced more than one incident of violence. Women older than 35 years, with a disability and of lower socio-economic status reported an increased rate of repeat victimisation in the year prior to the survey.

Graph AJ : Women who had experienced violence by a male perpetrator in the last 12 months, proportion who experienced multiple incidents: By sociodemographic characteristics

Data table for Graph AJ:

The rate of repeated victimisation in adulthood varied significantly with age. When compared to the national average, women aged 35-54 years were at increased risk of having experienced multiple incidents of violence by a male perpetrator in the year before the survey. (This difference does not reflect the relative age of the women, as the data is for a constant time period – namely the 12 months prior to the survey).

Tbl A32:E21, E22

Of women who had experienced violence, 95.1% of women aged 45-54 years, and 91.1% of women aged 35-44 years had experienced more than one incident in the 12 months prior to the survey.

E22 E21

In comparison to the national average, and as a proportion of all women who had experienced at least one incident of violence by a male perpetrator:

• NSW had a smaller proportion of women who had experienced multiple incidents of violence (70,500, 65.5%).
• Victoria had a higher proportion of women who had experienced multiple incidents of violence (90,300, 94.7%).

Tbl A32:E9, E10

Of women who had experienced violence by a male perpetrator in the year prior to the survey:

• 76.7% of employed women had experienced more than one incident of violence.
• 90.5% of women who were unemployed or not in the workforce had experienced more than one incident of violence.

Tbl A32:E26 E27

Information on the definition of labour force is in Section 2: 2.4 Labour force participation.

Information on the definition of disability is in Section 2: 2.6: Disability status.

Information on the measures of SES status is in Section 2: 2.7 Socio-economic status.

If a woman experienced childhood sexual abuse, she typically reported that she had experienced more than one incident of abuse. Approximately 650,000 women who experienced sexual violence by a male perpetrator as an adult also experienced some kind of violence by a male perpetrator when they were a child.

1,683,700 women reported that they had experienced sexual violence by a male perpetrator since the age of 15.

Tbl A30: F16

Women who experienced sexual violence as an adult and child abuse

651,600 of women who had experienced sexual violence by a male perpetrator since the age of 15 also experienced child abuse by a male perpetrator. This is:

• 38.7% of women who had experienced adult sexual violence by a male perpetrator; and
• one in fourteen women in Australia (7.5%).

Tbl A30: B16 C16

Most of these women had experienced sexual assault (584,400, 89.7%), with a much smaller number having experienced sexual threat (161,500, 24.8%).

B14 B15

1.1 million women reported they had experienced sexual abuse when they were a child.

Tbl A29: F16

More than one incident of childhood sexual abuse

Seven out of ten women who experienced sexual abuse as a child reported that it happened more than once (70.4%).

Tbl A29: F18

Also experienced victimisation as an adult

Of women who experienced more than one incident of sexual abuse as a child (775,800):

• 317,700 also experienced sexual assault as an adult.
• 101,500 also experienced sexual threat as an adult.
• 438,900 also experienced physical assault as an adult.
• 213,000 also experienced physical threat as an adult.

F18, T18, Z18, B18, H18

Almost all victims of physical abuse as a child reported that they had experienced more than one incident of abuse. One in nine women in Australia have experienced both physical abuse as a child and physical violence as an adult, with both acts at the hands of a male perpetrator.

2,753,500 women reported that they had experienced physical violence by a male perpetrator since the age of 15.

Tbl A30:F11

Women who experienced physical violence as an adult and as a child

970,300 women who had experienced physical violence by a male perpetrator since the age of 15 had also experienced child abuse by a male perpetrator. This is:

• 35.2% of women who had experienced adult physical violence by a male perpetrator.

One in nine women in Australia (11.1%).

Tbl A30: B11, C11

Most of these women experienced physical assault (876,800, 90.4%), with a significantly smaller number having experienced physical threat (362,100, 37.3%).

B9, B10

938,100 women reported that they had experienced physical abuse as a child.

Tbl A29: F10

More than one incident

Nine out of ten women who had experienced physical abuse when they were a child said that it had happened more than once (90.4%).

Tbl A29

Also experienced victimisation as an adult

Of the women who experienced more than one incident of physical abuse as a child (848,500):

• 328,400 also experienced sexual assault as an adult.
• 104,300 also experienced sexual threat as an adult.
• 541,900 also experienced physical assault as an adult.
• 241,300 also experienced physical threat as an adult.

Tbl A29: F12, T12, Z12, B12, H12

Figure L: Number of women who experienced child abuse, cohabiting partner violence or both over their lifetime

A third of women who had experienced child abuse reported that, as an adult, they had experienced violence by a cohabiting partner. Similarly, a third of victims of cohabiting partner violence reported that they had experienced abuse when they were a child.

Child abuse

Cohabiting partner violence

Childhood abuse and partner violence

Childhood abuse but not partner violence

Cohabiting partner violence but not childhood abuse

More women reported that they had experienced childhood sexual abuse (1,102,100) than childhood physical abuse (938,100).

Tbl A29: F16, F10

More than one incident

The majority of women who reported that they had experienced child abuse said that they had experienced more than one instance of abuse:

• 90.5% (848,500) of women reported having experienced more than one instance of physical abuse before the age of 15; and
• 70.4% (775,800) of women reported having experienced more than one instance of sexual abuse before the age of 15.

Tbl A29: F12, F18

Perpetrator of first incident

The most commonly reported perpetrator of the first incident of child abuse varied between incidents of physical and sexual abuse. 80.6% (756,300) of women reported that the perpetrator of their first incident of physical abuse was a parent. In comparison, 44.4% (489,400) of women reported that the perpetrator of their first incident of sexual abuse was a non-familial known person, and 13.8% (152,100) reported the perpetrator of their first incident of sexual abuse was by a parent.

Tbl A31:C9, E12, E9

Graph AK: Number of women who reported experiencing child abuse: By selected relationship to perpetrator of first incident and type of abuse

Data table for Graph AK:

In this section we described PSS data that demonstrated how violence disproportionately affects some women. Four out of ten women in Australia had experienced at least one violent incident in their lifetime: of these women, about a third had experienced separate incidents of both sexual and physical violence. In addition, most victims have experienced repeated incidents of violence, with 81.1% of women who had experienced violence by a male perpetrator in the last 12 months reporting that they had experienced more than one incident during that time period.

We now turn to our concluding section, where key themes from this report are identified.