Mothers living with domestic abuse in Scotland - a tale of poverty and social inequality

Abstract

Domestic abuse is a pernicious societal issue that has both immediate and long-term consequences for those who are victimised. Research points to motherhood as being linked to experiences of domestic abuse, with pregnancy being a particular point of risk. Across UK jurisdictions, new legislation aims to extend the criminalisation of domestic abuse to include coercive control. Less clear is the relationship between mothers’ victimisation of different forms of abuse and other factors like age, socio-economic status and level of education. In our research we explored the relationship between social inequality and mothers’ experiences of domestic abuse. We explored the relationship between multiple and overlapping dimensions of disadvantage and poverty and experiences of domestic abuse.