The purpose of the study was to shed light on the potentially differing dynamics of violence against separated and divorced women by their ex-husbands and violence against married women by their current husbands. Using a nationally representative sample of 7,369 heterosexual women from Cycle 13 of Statistics Canada's General Social Survey, available risk markers were examined in the context of a nested ecological framework. Separated women reported nine times the prevalence of violence and divorced women reported about four times the prevalence of violence compared with married women. The strongest predictors of violence against married women, namely, patriarchal domination, sexual jealousy, and possessiveness, were not significant predictors of violence against separated and divorced women. This suggested that post-separation violence is a complex phenomenon the dynamics of which can be affected by much more than domination and ownership.
Bachman, R., & Saltzman, L.E. (1995). Violence against women: Estimates from the redesigned survey (No. NCJ-154348). Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics.
2.
Blood, R.O., & Wolfe, D.M. (1960). Husbands and wives: The dynamics of married living . Glencoe, IL: Free Press.
3.
Brownridge, D.A. (2002). Cultural variation in male partner violence against women: A comparison of Québec with the rest of Canada. Violence Against Women, 8(1), 87-115.
4.
Brownridge, D.A. (2003). Male partner violence against Aboriginal women in Canada: An empirical analysis. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 18(1), 65-83.
5.
Brownridge, D.A. (2006). Violence against women post-separation. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 11(5), 514-530.
6.
Brownridge, D.A., & Halli, S.S. (2002). Understanding male partner violence against cohabiting and married women: An empirical investigation with a synthesized model. Journal of Family Violence, 17(4), 341-361.
7.
DeKeseredy, W.S., Rogness, M., & Schwartz, M.D. (2004). Separation/divorce sexual assault: The current state of social scientific knowledge. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 9, 675-691.
8.
Dutton, D.G., & Painter, S. (1993). Emotional attachments in abusive relationships: A test of traumatic bonding theory. Violence and Victims, 8(2), 105-120.
9.
Fleury, R.E., Sullivan, C.M., & Bybee, D.I. (2000). When ending the relationship does not end the violence: Women's experiences of violence by former partners. Violence Against Women, 6(12), 1363-1383.
Gaquin, D.A. (1977/1978). Spouse abuse: Data from the national crime survey. Victimology, 2, 632-643.
12.
Goode, W.J. (1971). Force and violence in the family. Journal of Marriage and Family, 33, 624-636.
13.
Hardesty, J.L. (2002). Separation assault in the context of postdivorce parenting. Violence Against Women, 8(5), 597-625.
14.
Hewitt, B., Baxter, J., & Western, M. (2005). Marriage breakdown in Australia: The social correlates of separation and divorce. Journal of Sociology, 41(2), 163-183.
15.
Hotton, T. (2001). Spousal violence after marital separation. Juristat, 21, 1-19.
16.
Johnson, H. (1990). Wife abuse. In C. McKie & K. Thompson (Eds.), Canadian social trends (pp. 173-176). Toronto: Thompson Educational Publishing.
17.
Johnson, H. (1996). Dangerous domains: Violence against women in Canada . Scarborough: Nelson Canada.
18.
Johnson, H., & Hotton, T. (2003). Losing control: Homicide risk in estranged and intact intimate relationships. HomicideStudies, 7(1), 58-84.
19.
Kennedy, L.W., & Dutton, D.G. (1989). The incidence of wife assault in Alberta. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 21(1), 41-54.
20.
Kershner, M., Long, D., & Anderson, J.E. (2001). Abuse against women in rural Minnesota. Public Health Nursing, 15(6), 422-431.
21.
Kurz, D. (1996). Separation, divorce and woman abuse. Violence Against Women, 2(1), 69-81.
22.
McMurray, A.M. (1997). Violence against ex-wives: Anger and advocacy . Health Care for Women International, 18(6), 543-556.
23.
McMurray, A.M., Froyland, I.D., Bell, D.G., & Curnow, D.J. (2000). Post-separation violence: The male perspective . Journal of Family Studies, 6(1), 89-105.
24.
Rasche, C.E. (1993). “Given” reasons for violence in intimate relationships. In A. V. Wilson (Ed.), Homicide: The victim/offender connection (pp. 75-100). Cincinnati, OH: Anderson.
25.
Spiwak, R., & Brownridge, D.A. (2005). Separated women's risk for violence: An analysis of the Canadian situation. Journal of Divorce and Remarriage, 43(3/4), 105-118.
26.
Statistics Canada. (2000). 1999 General Social Survey, Cycle 13 victimization: Public use microdata file documentation and user's guide. Ottawa: Minister of Industry.
27.
Statistics Canada. (2004, May 4). Divorces. The Daily, pp. 1-5.
28.
Toews, M.L., McKenry, P.C., & Catlett, B.S. (2003). Male-initiated partner abuse during marital separation prior to divorce. Violence and Victims, 18(4), 387-402.
29.
Wilson, M., & Daly, M. (1993). Spousal homicide risk and estrangement. Violence and Victims, 8(1), 3-16.
30.
Wilson, M., & Daly, M. (1998). Lethal and nonlethal violence against wives and the evolutionary psychology of male sexual proprietariness. In R. E. Dobash & R. P. Dobash (Eds.), Rethinking violence against women (pp. 224-230). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
31.
Yllö, K.A., & Straus, M.A. (1990). Patriarchy and violence against wives: The impact of structural and normative factors. In M. A. Straus & R. J. Gelles (Eds.), Physical violence in American families: Risk factors and adaptations to violence in 8,145 families (pp. 383-399). New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction.
