ABUSERS, BULLIES.. AND JEALOUS OF THE LOVE THEIR SONS GET
Mums with male kids more likely to be hit by partners
Women who have sons are more likely to be victims of domestic abuse, a study has found.
Academics from Edinburgh and Stirling universities found mothers with male children had a 20 per cent higher chance of being assaulted by their partners than mums who had daughters.
The groundbreaking research also concluded that young women were more likely to experience abuse than those who are older.
The findings of the study – published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence – have been described as “surprising” by researchers.
They believe an abuser may become jealous that their victim’s affection is directed towards a boy but not resentful of a girl getting more attention.
Lead author Dr Valeria Skafida, of Edinburgh University’s school of social and political science, said: “It’s not something that existing research has mentioned. One hypothesis we have is that abusive partners are more likely to be triggered when a mother’s af fections are directed towards a male child – more so than if the child is female – but this is not something that we have concrete evidence on yet.
“This research confirms that older age is associated with a lower chance of experiencing abuse. There could be several reasons for this. For example, mothers who are younger at childbirth are also more likely to have a lower income and poverty is strongly correlated with experiencing abuse.
“But even after taking income into account, older mothers might have characteristics which may deter a potentially abusive partner, such as more social networks, self- confidence, self-belief or assertiveness.”
The researchers looked at data from a survey of 3633 new mums in Scotland.
Mothers with only one child and those with four children were also more likely to experience abuse compared to those with two or three children.
According to the UK Office for National Statistics, more than one in four adult women will be subject to domestic violence during their lifetime.
Dr Skafida added: “Policy makers should take into account how income-related benefits may trap women in relationships with abusive partners.
“For example, the new Universal Credit payment system expects claimants living as a couple to make a single claim, which is then paid out to one claimant on behalf of the couple. This type of policy potentially makes it easier for an abusive partner to control all of the couple’s finances.”
Scottish Women’s Aid chief executive Dr Marsha Scott said: “This is a significant study looking at a lot of data specifically about Scotland. The mothers of sons is a very interesting finding but the authors are clear that more research is needed.
“What this does tell us is poverty and abuse go hand in hand – and that’s something Women’s Aid has been talking about for quite some time.”