Theft of money, control of expenses, seizure of bank cards… 41% of women will experience domestic economic violence, according to a survey

The Ifop study for the feminist newsletter Les Glorieuses underlines that economic violence, suffered by women in relationships, is a gateway to other physical and psychological domestic violence.

In a study* published Tuesday October 31, domestic economic violence is defined as “control, impoverishment or loss of income which can go as far as the total dispossession of women’s means of financial autonomy”. More than 4 in 10 women will experience it in their lives, according to this survey carried out by the feminist newsletter The Glorious. A dedicated awareness platform was even created for this occasion.

This violence includes, for example, theft of money, seizure of income, control of expenses, blocking of bank cards or even the opposition of the spouse to the fact that the woman has a personal bank account. 16% of respondents, having already been in a relationship at least once, have experienced one of these forms of control of their finances by their partner.

Savings and debt can also be a source of economic violence. Thus, the study reports that 17% of women who have already been in a relationship have suffered this type of violence: a situation where the partner contracts debts jointly without mentioning it, where he insists that the couple’s assets and investments be made in his name.

Another point highlighted by the survey is that violence is greater when the woman earns less than her partner: 27% of women in a relationship with a partner who earns much more than them have already been victims of at least one economic violence. The percentage drops to 14% when the woman earns an equivalent income.

The study, led by the feminist newsletter The Glorious, warns of the link between economic violence and domestic violence, whether verbal, physical or psychological. Indeed, 99% of women victims of domestic economic violence have also suffered other forms of domestic violence, according to the survey. This violence often takes place at the same time. The awareness platform also provides a test to measure economic violence as well as a barometer that allows you to analyze your situation.

Among the solutions advanced on the awareness platform, The Glorious advise above all to speak if possible to those around you or to your bank. Then, it is possible to call 3919, the national reference number for women victims of violence. According to the site viepublique.fr20% of women who call this special number denounce economic violence within their relationship.

*Methodology – The Ifop study for Les Glorieuses was carried out by self-administered online questionnaire from October 17 to 19, 2023 with 951 women who had already been in a relationship, taken from a sample of 1,101 women representative of the female population living in mainland France aged 18 and over.