Are Men or Women More Likely to Abuse Their Partners?

Studies have shown that women, not men, are more apt to psychologically abuse, stalk and attack their partners. Though women are usually thought of as the victims of abuse, this might be a misconception because of the gross under-reporting of female-on-male domestic abuse. Likewise, women are more likely to kill their partners with the help of another person, and two-person homicides do not go reported as female-on-male violence. It is believed that more than 800,000 cases of female-on-male abuse go unreported each year in the United States alone.

More statistics on abuse:

• Though women are about as likely to strike the first blow when it comes to physical violence, they are often more injured than men because of physiological differences. Nearly half of men in physical abuse cases, however, have suffered serious injuries.


• Women are also more likely to use weapons in violent situations. This includes anything from throwing plates to using actual weaponry, such as a knife or gun. Women also tend to scratch, bite or slap their partners; men tend to punch or strangle theirs.


• Reports has shown that although males tend to become less violent with higher education, females with higher levels of education tend to be more violent than less-educated women.