• Home
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Write for Australian Women Online
  • Advertise With Us
  • Horoscopes
  • Style
  • Shoe Boutique
  • eFashion
  • Weight Watchers Australia

Australian Women Online

Business, career, health and lifestyle content for women

  • Home
  • BLOG
  • BOOKS
  • BUSINESS
  • CAREER
  • COOKING
  • HEALTH
  • LIFESTYLE
    • Automotive
    • Beauty
    • Fashion
    • Pets
    • Relationships
    • Your Home
    • Your Money
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • TRAVEL
    • Discount Holidays
You are here: Home / Uncategorized / Financial abuse of women by ex-partners is more common than we realise

Financial abuse of women by ex-partners is more common than we realise

25 August 2014 by Australian Women Online

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • More
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp

Source: Fotolia.com

Source: Fotolia.com

New Australian research reveals that many ex-partners deliberately use the legal, child support and income support systems to cause long term financial hardship and psychological distress to women long after the relationship ends.

The research by WIRE Women’s Information, ‘Relationship Problems and Money: Women talk about financial abuse’, shows that financial abuse impacts on women’s options for employment and housing, as well as their mental health for years.

WIRE CEO Samiro Douglas said, “We know that financial abuse is a major barrier to women leaving family violence, but we were shocked to find how it continues after they leave. This can make it incredibly difficult for women to create a stable, secure financial situation for themselves, and causes life long economic disadvantage for many women.”

“Thirteen years in court. I have lost my kids’ childhood because all I am doing is sitting at the computer writing legal documents.” [Susan, 53, four children, Melbourne]

Susan is one of over 200 women from a wide range of ages, social and income backgrounds in metro and regional Victoria who shared with WIRE Women’s Information Researcher Prue Cameron, their stories of financial abuse in the context of family violence.

According to researcher Prue Cameron, most of the women who took part in the research inititially didn’t realise they had been financially abused. Although legally recognised as a form of family violence, financial abuse is not well understood and isn’t recognised as a form of abuse, even by the women who are experiencing it.

“A complex web of social beliefs and values, gender stereotypes and cultural expectations hide financial abuse in plain sight,” said Ms Cameron. “Because of this invisibility, it is not identified by the very institutions and professionals there to protect women and children in this situation.”

“There is an urgent need for more information and awareness of financial abuse at a community and at an individual level,” she said. “Women need to be informed of their legal entitlements and supported in dealing with abuse. Lawyers, community workers, bank officers and other professionals need to be educated and informed about financial abuse and be equipped to support clients experiencing that abuse.”

The Victorian Minister for Community Services, Mary Wooldridge, will officially launch the research report and a new information booklet for women ‘Money problems with your partner? Dealing with financial abuse’ on Tuesday 26 August 2014 at the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre.

For hard copies of the report and booklet visit www.wire.org.au to read or download PDF copies.

You May Also Like:

Filed Under: Uncategorized, Your Money

Ads by Google
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

New Content

  • Why Online Casinos Are Becoming a Favourite Pastime for Modern Women
  • Is 2025’s Ford Maverick the Ideal Urban Truck?
  • Australian Lifestyle: The Rise of High-End Condo Communities
  • Off-Road Driving: 10 Amazing Trails in the US to Explore
  • Your Guide to Buy DMT or Magic Mushrooms Online in Australia
  • How to Become a Trusted Home Care Provider in Australia (and Simplify Your Operations in 2025)
  • Empowering Women Through Fashion Entrepreneurship: How Custom Caps Become Catalysts for Change
  • How to Ladder Your Term Deposits for Maximum Flexibility & Returns
  • Women in Wagering: How the Industry is Finally Tapping Female Players
  • Demolition Safety: 10 Essential Safety Tips and Guidelines

Popular Content

  • Moore Weekly Stars
  • French Connection Faux Fur Shawl
  • Claire Tynan, CEO of TMI Pacific talks about truth in advertising
  • Are you taking resveratrol supplement? Get to know the benefits
  • Australian Lifestyle: The Rise of High-End Condo Communities
  • Women Who Have Become Gambling Legends
  • Alannah Hill Change Me Up Dress
  • French Connection Rainbow Rays Maxi Dress
  • CHARLES & KEITH Classic Push-Lock Wallet
  • French Connection Stripe Pleated Midi Skirt

Australian Women Online © Copyright 2007 - 2025 Deborah Robinson ABN 38 119 171 979 · All Rights Reserved