Social exclusion as a risk factor for gender-based intimate partner violence

Abstract

Based on a structural concept of gender-based intimate partner violence and social exclusion, this paper analyses the risk of experiencing such violence according to different intensities and types of social exclusion. To this end, data from the 2013 Foessa Foundation’s Survey on Social Integration and Social Needs was used. The Foessa survey aims to analyse social exclusion in Spain and, in its latest edition, also includes a set of questions aimed at detecting gender-based violence processes by the current or former partner in a standardised manner. The data are drawn from 5,473 face-to-face interviews. Bivariate and multivariate analyses are carried out and different types of violence (physical, sexual and psychological) are distinguished. Taking full integration as a reference, the risk of experiencing gender-based violence increases by 45% in cases of moderate exclusion and by 82% in cases of severe exclusion. Distinguishing among types of exclusion, a significant increase is observed in cases of social conflict (460%) and exclusion from education (88%) and healthcare (57%), while exclusion from employment, consumption, politics, housing and social isolation are not significant. Moreover, taking upper-middle class neighbourhoods as a reference, in deprived neighbourhoods the risk increases by 460%. Distinguishing among types of violence, the influence of the social situation is at its highest in the case of physical violence, intermediate in the case of sexual violence and minimal in the case of psychological violence.