Complexity of Patterns of Violence Against Women in Heterosexual Partnerships

Research on violence against women presents quite a stereotyped picture of the victims of partnership violence. There are important distinctions between the types of violence, characteristics of the victims and perpetrators, and the cultural contexts in which violence occurs, but the homogeneous image excludes these. The stereotyped picture of partner violence makes it difficult for both women themselves and professional helpers to identify partner violence and its mechanisms. The objective of this article is to show the diversity of partnership violence by using survey data.