NCJ Number
178714
Journal
International Review of Victimology Volume: 5 Issue: 3/4 Dated: 1998 Pages: 257-276
Date Published
1998
Length
20 pages
Annotation
The National Survey of Wives in Great Britain was conducted to estimate the prevalence of violence by husbands against wives and the prevalence of rape of wives inside and outside marriage.
Abstract
The field work was conducted in late August to early September 1989. The aim was to interview approximately 100 married women in a representative town or city in each of the 10 standard regions of Great Britain. Women were approached on the street and asked to participate in the study in accordance to whether they fell into the desired age, marital status, and social-class quotas. A total of 1,007 women ultimately completed satisfactory questionnaires. The authors advise that this street method of sampling may have biased the sample of women; those interviewed were probably more likely to be town rather than rural dwellers; mobile and not tied to the home by very young children, disability, or infirmity; and less likely to be in full-time employment. The findings show that more than one-quarter of ever-married women in Great Britain had been assaulted by their husbands, that one in five had been threatened with physical violence, and that one in three had been assaulted and/or threatened. Lower-class wives, separated or divorced women, and Scottish wives were more likely to have been assaulted than others. The survey also shows that 1 in 7 British wives had been raped by their husband without use or threat of violence, and 1 in 17 had been violently raped. Nearly all of the raped wives had been raped while they were living with their husbands, and most had been raped several times. Women who had been assaulted or threatened by their husbands were also disproportionately likely to have been raped, although the prevalence of marital rape was far lower than the prevalence of marital violence. Nearly half of the marital rapes involved the threat or use of physical violence; however, nearly two-thirds of raped wives had also been assaulted, compared with only one in five of wives who had not been raped. The survey also shows that approximately one in eight British wives had been raped outside of marriage, most commonly by a boyfriend or an acquaintance. The authors discuss why there is an overlap between marital violence, marital rape, and non- marital rape. 4 tables, 2 notes, and 37 references