KFF, a health policy research, polling, and journalism organization, has recently released a new report on women’s experiences with intimate partner violence (IPV).
Drawing from data collected by the 2024 KFF Women’s Health Survey, the study found one in five (19 percent) women ages 18 to 64 say they have experienced some form of IPV over the past five years. More specifically, 11 percent of women said a current or ex-partner had made them fear for their safety or the safety of family because of anger or threats; 11 percent said a partner had tried to control most or all of their daily activities; 9 percent said they had been physically hurt; and 9 percent said they had been forced into unwanted sexual activity at least once within the past five years.
Women from lower incomes, LGBTQ+ women, and disabled women are more likely to report recent IPV. Black and Hispanic women (22 percent) are more likely to have experienced IPV than White women (18 percent) and Asian or Pacific Islander women (9 percent).
Of women who have experienced IPV, 27 percent say they have fair or poor physical health and 46 percent say they have fair or poor mental health. A quarter of these women say they have a health condition that keeps them from fully participating in work and other activities. Nearly half of women who have experienced recent IPV have incurred a physical injury as a result.
Women who have experienced recent IPV are more likely than those who have not experienced IPV to rely on care from a health clinic or emergency room rather than a private doctor’s office. Furthermore, 14 percent of these women did not receive the care they needed after experiencing IPV, primarily due to concerns with privacy, partner intimidation, financial constraints, and police involvement.
Among reproductive age women who have experienced IPV in the past five years, 40 percent say it happened during their most recent pregnancy or in the year before or after their pregnancy. Some 20 percent of these women say they have used emergency contraception, and 10 percent say they have purchased emergency contraception to keep on hand as a result of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.