Young Women Misbehavin'

Many people don’t want to think about what happens behind closed doors.  That is until celebrities make headline news and force us to re-look at the ugly reality facing far too many women in this country.

One in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime and females who are 20-24 years old are at the greatest risk of intimate partner violence.

The situation between Rihanna and Chris Brown is a classic case of abuse through his acts of violence and attempts to isolate her from her family and friends.  Domestic violence remains too prevalent in our society and sociologists are now saying that the economic downturn will make it worse.

It is hard to gauge the human side of the financial crisis, but it’s something worth noting because the emotional and physical toll it will have on women will be detrimental and in some cases irreversible.

In the Huffington Post, Peter Dreier writes about how as the economy worsens more people will die, get physically hurt, suffer emotional hardships and be victimized.  This recession will not only be costly in a financial sense, but the human toll could be pervasive and long lasting.  Dreier also cites some terrifying stats:  “for every one percent increase in the unemployment rate (an additional 1.5 million people out of work), we can expect an additional 47,000 deaths, including 26,000 deaths from heart attacks, about 1,200 from suicide, 831 murders, and 635 deaths related to alcohol consumption.”

As the economic downturn deepens, the new challenges faced by many people will be translated into increased stress, anxiety, anger and frustration.  This will also lead to an increase in domestic violence and child abuse.  The article also mentions that “a 2004 study by the National Institute of Justice found that the rate of violence against women increases as male unemployment increases. When a woman’s male partner is employed, the rate of violence is 4.7%. It is 7.5% when the male partner experiences one period of unemployment. It increases to 12.3% when the male experiences two or more periods of unemployment”.

These are staggering statistics that should make us realize there’s more to this crisis than home foreclosures and plummeting stocks.  However during a time when mental health professionals, police, nonprofits, call centers and other human service providers are increasingly needed they too feel the strain of less money and fewer resources.  It’s a downward spiral that feeds off each other as more women lose their health insurance and can’t afford the help they need, or fear leaving their violent partner because of strapped financial resources and an inability to find a new job.

The national dialogue that has been sparked by the abuse of Rihanna is sadly needed because domestic violence can be a very taboo and uncomfortable topic that is not discussed enough by schools, parents and policymakers.

The current economic crisis could be the catalyst for a new wave of violence and abuse. It’s more important than ever to confront this problem.

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