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A recent study by the University of Bremen and Europa-Universität Flensburg shows that poverty and financial struggles increase the risk of violence in couple relationships. Unemployment, financial discontent, and the presence of children intensify this risk.
Sociologists Dr. Ruth Abramowski from the University of Bremen’s SOCIUM Research Center on Inequality and Social Policy and Dr. Lara Minkus from the Europa-Universität Flensburg show in a new randomized study that the lack of financial and material resources presents a significant risk factor for violence in couples, particularly for women. “The results confirm what theories on power relations and international studies already suggested,” explains Abramowski.
Data: 1,667 women over 14 years
The study is based on data from the German family panel pairfam. Data was evaluated from 1,667 women who separated from their partner since the last interview. Among women who were employed in the year before a separation, roughly one in nine (11 out of 100) reported physical violence. For women who were unemployed during this time, that number rose to almost one in five (20 out of 100). “In other words, unemployment doubles the risk of violence in relationships,” Minkus emphasized.
The way a person perceives their own financial position also plays a role. “Women who were very dissatisfied with their household finances reported violence at a significantly higher rate than women who were very satisfied. The risk increases when women see their financial situation as burdensome,” Abramowski points out.
Women with Children Particularly at Risk
Women with children are particularly at risk, as Minkus explains. “Whereas women without children were significantly less likely to report violence, the risk was about a third higher for mothers with one child.” This rises even more for those with two or more children.
In addition to the academic relevance, the authors also emphasized the political consequences. “Targeted efforts for financial support can prevent violence. We need measures that reduce financial dependence and empower women,” says Abramowski. The study “Economic deprivation and intimate partner violence in Germany” was published in the academic journal PLOS One.
pairfam Database
The pairfam relationship and family panel (Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics) was a multidisciplinary, longitudinal study for researching couple and family dynamics in Germany. Over 12,000 people from many birth years have been annually surveyed since 2008 as part of a cooperation project between the University of Bremen, the Ludwig-Maximilian-Universität München (LMU), the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, and the University of Cologne.
Dr. Ruth Abramowski, SOCIUM Research Center on Inequality and Social Policy, University of Bremen, Phone: +49 421/218-58550, Email: ruth.abramowski@uni-bremen.de,
Dr. Lara Minkus, Europa-Universität Flensburg, Phone: +49 461/ 805 2325, Email: lara.minkus@uni-flensburg.de
Minkus, L. & Abramowski, R. (2025): Economic deprivation and intimate partner violence in Germany. PLOS One. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0329930
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