Understanding the Elevated Risk of Partner Violence Against Aboriginal Women: A Comparison of Two Nationally Representative Surveys of Canada

• NCJ Number: 223275
• Journal: Journal of Family Violence Volume: 23 Issue: 5 Dated: July 2008 Pages: 353-367
• Author(s): Douglas A. Brownridge
• Date Published: July 2008
• Length: 15 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Based on data obtained from two large-scale representative samples of women in Canada collected in 1999 and 2004, this study examined Aboriginal women's risk for violent victimization compared to non-Aboriginal women.

Abstract

The study found that the Aboriginal women in both survey samples had approximately four times the odds of being a victim of violence compared to non-Aboriginal women. Controlling for all of the risk factors tested for the two samples showed that the variables accounted for less of the difference in odds for abuse between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal women in the 2004 survey than in the 1999 survey. Thus, although Aboriginal women may be becoming increasingly similar to non-Aboriginal women regarding the impact of measured risk factors for violent victimization, their relative risk for violent victimization has remained essentially the same over the years measured. This suggests that some factors related to colonization and being Aboriginal have not been identified in terms of their impact on the risk for violent victimization among Aboriginal women. The risk factors measured were patriarchal dominance, partner's employment, rural/urban residence, heavy alcohol consumption by the male partner, the woman's youthful age, educational achievement, and previous marriage/common-law union. Data were obtained from the Statistics Canada's General Social Survey (GSS), which monitors changes in Canadian society over time and provides information on policy issues of current or emerging interest. In cycle 13 of the GSS conducted in 1999, a random sample of 7,126 women (154 Aboriginal and 6,983 non-Aboriginal) 15 years old or older completed indepth telephone interviews regarding the nature and extent of their criminal victimization, including experiences of partner violence. Cycle 18 of the GSS, which was similar to cycle 13, was administered in 2004 and resulted in a random sample of 6,615 women (154 Aboriginal and 6,461 non-Aboriginal). 7 tables and 55 references