Violence Against Women: Australian Facts and Figures

Compiled by Michael Flood, August 2006.

Overview
Anywhere from 40 - 57% of  women will experience physical or sexual violence by a man at some point in their lives, a nationally representative survey have found.

In the last year, between five and ten per cent of Australian women experienced at least one incident of physical and/or sexual violence by a man.

The Data
Australia has had three national surveys on the incidence of violence against women: a 1996 survey by the ABS, a survey by the Australian Institute of Criminology in 2004, and a third by the ABS in 2006.

The results of the two most recent surveys are summarised below.

ABS national survey (2006)

In the last 12 months:

• One in 20 women (5.8%), or over 440,000 women, were the victims of violence in the last year. 4.7% (363,000 women) experienced physical violence (including physical assault, attempted assault, or the threat of assault).
• 1.6% (126,100 women) experienced sexual violence (including sexual assault,
  attempted assault, or the threat of assault).

Violence during a lifetime:

• Over one-third (39.9%) of Australian women report experiencing at least one incident of physical violence or sexual violence since the age of 15.
• Since the age of 15, an estimated 3,065,800 women had experienced violence. 29% of all women (2,243,600 women) had experienced physical assault, and 17% (1,293,100) had experienced sexual assault.

SOURCE: A national survey of 16,500 Australian adults (18 and over).
PUBLICATION: ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) (2006) Personal Safety Survey Australia. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics (Cat. 4906.0).

AIC national survey (2004)

In the past 12 months:

• 10% of Australian women reported experiencing at least one incident of physical and/or sexual violence by a man. They were more likely to report physical violence (8%) than sexual violence (4%). (This could include violence by male partners or ex-partners, male friends and acquaintances, work colleagues, and strangers).

Violence during a lifetime:

• Nearly two-thirds (57%) of Australian women report experiencing at least one incident of physical violence or sexual violence by a man over their lifetime. Just under half (48%) have experienced physical violence, and one-third (34%) have experienced sexual violence.
• Over a third of women (34%) who have ever had a boyfriend or husband report experiencing at least one form of violence during their lifetime from an intimate male partner. About half have experienced physical violence and a third have experienced sexual violence.

SOURCE: A national survey of 6,677 women aged 18-69.
PUBLICATION: Mouzos, J., and T. Makkai (2004) Women’s Experiences ofMale Violence: Findings from the Australian Component of the International Violence Against Women Survey (IVAWS). Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, Research and Public Policy Series, No. 56.