Home      Login


A Comparison of Partner Violence Against Women in Rural and Urban Canada—Prevalence, Correlates, Consequences, and Help-Seeking Behavior  


Author:  Douglas A. Brownridge, Ph.D..


Source: Volume 01, Number 04, Spring 2009 , pp.307-325(19)




Family & Intimate Partner Violence Quarterly

< previous article |next article > |return to table of contents

Abstract: 

Women living in rural communities have rates of intimate partner violence that are comparable to those for urban women. But rural women have vulnerabilities that are unique to the setting in which they live. In this study from Canada, the author compares risk factors for and consequences of partner violence among rural and urban women. Based on past research, rural women are more likely to be unemployed or have lower incomes, and they are more likely to be isolated. Partners of rural women are more likely to be patriarchical and religious, but religiosity may lower the risk for abuse in some cases. Moreover, rural women are more likely than their urban counterparts to turn to clergy for help. Immigrant or aboriginal status can also be related to elevated risk of partner violence, and this is also more common in rural settings. Given the comparable levels of violence for urban and rural women, the study results indicate that domestic violence is as big a problem in rural areas as it is in urban settings.

Keywords: 

Affiliations:  1: University of Manitoba Department of Family Social Sciences.

Subscribers click here to open full text in PDF.
Non-subscribers click here to purchase this article. $25

< previous article |next article > |return to table of contents