Spotlight on economic abuse - Good Shepherd Youth & Family ...

Figure 1: An ecological model of economic abuse
For example,
community
awareness of
and attitudes
to economic
abuse.
For example,
financial insecurity
poverty, employment,
homelessness
Other impacts of
domestic and
family violence
Society
Community
Relationship
Individual
Decision to stay
or leave abusive
relationship
Immediate,
medium and
long-term
impacts
For example,
norms/values and
structures (such as
gender inequity)
employment,
welfare system
For example,
household stress,
economic
dependence, gender
attitudes,
Society/community
responses to
domestic & family
violence
Economic abuse and economic independence
The earlier discussion of the nature of economic abuse highlighted the ways in which
economic abuse involves power dynamics and is about controlling behaviours which are
directed to maintaining power and preventing women’s independence in an abusive
relationship. Unequal power—including unequal economic power—in a relationship can
provide the conditions that allow or enable domestic violence to occur by making it difficult
for women to leave relationships in which they experience violence (Lyon 2000) and lack of
financial independence has been found to be a major factor influencing a woman’s decision
to remain in an abusive relationship (Anderson & Saunders 2003). Thus, reducing economic
dependence and improving women’s financial security are seen as essential for leaving a
violent partner (Braaf & Barrett Meyering 2011; National Council to Reduce Violence Against
Women and their Children 2009). Here the relationship between the impacts of economic
abuse and responses to economic abuse can be seen as critical to and difficult to separate
from the impacts and responses to domestic and family violence more generally.
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