Both men and women can suffer domestic violence in their relationships, but the overwhelming majority of victims are women and children. When outsiders review or hear of these cases, they often put the burden on the victims to end the relationship and leave. However, sometimes it is not as easy as packing one’s things and leaving.
One article published by The Atlantic reports that one of the main reasons domestic violence victims stay is a lack of financial independence. This is especially true for minors and is often true for women.
How victims suffer financially
If financial dependence keeps people in abusive relationships and households, building financial independence might seem like an easy solution. However, abusers often go to great lengths to make it impossible for victims to untangle their finances. Some ways they do this include the following:
- Making it difficult for victims to get jobs
- Controlling all earnings
- Putting up roadblocks to bank accounts and credit
If the victim does not have strong financial knowledge, the situation can last even longer. The person might believe finances are far too difficult to sort out on his or her own.
The role of society
Society plays a conflicting role in abusive relationships. On the one hand, society often pressures women to leave. On the other hand, society raises women, in particular, to take on caretaker roles. Psychology Today states that this puts pressure on women to try to nurture and mend the relationship, especially when children live in the household.
The push and pull of societal factors often make victims unpredictable when it comes to leaving abusive partners. Once victims manage to develop financial independence, however, the chance of leaving increases.
