the time of the survey were 5.4 times more likely to state that domestic violence can be justified if the partner had sex with someone else than employed residents (5.4%). Unemployed residents (7.5%) were also 4.8 times more likely to justify domestic violence due to unreasonableness in property and financial issues than employed residents (1.4%).
Education and Income The education level and income level of residents in Wagga Wagga had very little impact on the justification of domestic violence. The only difference on the justifications found for education level, after controlling for gender, age, education, ethnicity, and employment status, was for ending a relationship. Residents whose highest level of education was to high school (5.0%) were 5.1 times more likely to state that domestic violence can be justified if a partner is ending a relationship than residents who had studied at TAFE or Trade School (1.0%). The only difference between income levels on the circumstances in which domestic violence can be justified was for getting access to children. Residents earning over $150,000 (4.5%) were 3.3 times more likely to state that domestic violence can be justified if to get access to their children, than residents earning between $51,000 and $100,000 (2.3%).
Comments & Recommendations •
More work is required with younger people, ATSI, other ethnicities, and unemployed as they are more likely to justify use of violence particularly if there is a greater likelihood of losing financially or in the longer run.
Beliefs about perpetrators of domestic violence It is imperative that community have an understanding of the gendered nature of domestic violence, its nature, severity and dynamics (WWHC, 2017). An increased understanding of male perpetrator enforcing power to control and manipulate a partner influences how people respond to domestic violence (Wagga Women's Health Centre (WWHC), 2017). Beliefs on who the main perpetrator of violence is, in terms of gender, has remained consistent between 2016 and 2021 (see Figure 9). Specifically, no significant differences were found from 2016 to 2021. In both years’ residents overwhelmingly state that men or mostly men are the perpetrators of domestic violence, with around 8 out of 10 residents choosing this option. In contrast very few residents believe that the main perpetrators of domestic violence are women or mostly women with less than 5% of the population agreeing with this option. Refer to Table 14 for a breakdown of responding across the various demographic groups in Wagga Wagga in 2021.
Gender Females identified the perpetrator of domestic violence as men/mostly men compared to women/mostly women 3.8 times more than males in Wagga Wagga. No difference was found between response options of equally and women/mainly women for gender.
Ethnicity Differences were found across the ethnicity groups in the Wagga Wagga community. The odds of Anglo-Saxon agree the perpetrator of domestic violence are men/mostly men compared to women/mostly women are 4.5 times likely than ATSI residents.
Employment Employed residents in Wagga Wagga in 2021 are more likely (5.1 times) to report that perpetrators of domestic violence can be equally men and women compared to women/mostly women than unemployed residents.
