| |
| Project title |
Older women
and domestic violence |
| Funding details |
NHS Health Scotland |
| Research
team |
Marsha Scott, Fran
Wasoff, Linda McKie, Elizabeth Seddon, Sarah Morton |
| Dates |
2003 |
| Type of project |
Research project |
| Keywords |
Women, interpersonal violence |
| Project
description |
CRFR was commissioned by NHS
Health Scotland to carry out a short research project on older
women and domestic violence. An overview of issues regarding
domestic violence for women later in life is the object.
Currently, a clear picture of older women's experiences of domestic
abuse, indeed even of the prevalence of domestic abuse in their
lives, is largely unavailable. Although accurate prevalence
data on domestic violence are notoriously difficult to obtain,
particularly for older women, statistics on domestic abuse from
the Scottish police forces do reveal a substantial minority
of victims are aged over 40.
In addition to the difficulties of gathering reliable prevalence
data, general attitudes deem domestic violence a problem that
affects younger women only-and services may often be rationed
through priority provision for women with dependent children.
As a consequence, much research on domestic violence examines
the experiences of women under age 50 only, and the experiences
and specific needs of older women are rarely identified, much
less addressed in Scotland, as is evident from the gaps in the
Scottish literature regarding the issue. |
Publications/
dissemination |
This research was launched at
a conference in May 2004. A full report and a Briefing was published
by Health Scotland |
| Contact |
Sarah
Cunningham-Burley |
|
