Women's Employment and Domestic Violence: A Review of the Literature

Purpose: A steady and accessible financial outlet is central to living an abuse free life for women who experience domestic violence. Expanding on existing findings of victim’s financial stability, researchers have called attention to the relationship between domestic violence and women’s employment. Employment is seen as a realistic solution to financial instability in the lives of women who experience abuse and for this reason, it is frequently sabotaged by violent partners. In this systematic review of the literature, abuser initiated disturbances that prevent women from performing in an employment setting to their full capacity are characterized as workplace disruptions and include on-the-job harassment, workplace time reductions and job loss. This review explores what existing studies have discovered of the effects of domestic violence on the workplace and the range of control tactics used by abusive men to interfere with their partner’s employment efforts.

Methods: A total of 13 quantitative studies and 3 qualitative studies were collected for this review dating back to the late 1980’s. Searches were conducted using keyword terms like employment stability, women’s employment, domestic violence and unemployment. Studies were selected based on their sample size, use of female participants, and measurement of domestic violence and employment. In the studies selected, researchers controlled for age, race, education level and household size as these variables impact employment and financial stability. A majority of studies included in this review utilize the Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS) to assess violence and victimization in female samples. In regards to measuring employment, around half of the studies compiled ask participants of their employment status at the time of the interview while the others investigated employment over several months or years.

Results: Every study selected included a significant finding of a workplace disruption for women experiencing domestic violence. Losing paid work time is a serious cause of employment instability as workplace time reductions were found in seven of the 15 studies reviewed. Seven studies also found that domestic violence was associated with job loss, as women reported unemployment as a result of abuse. Four studies found that women experiencing domestic violence were harassed on-the-job and three of these four studies found abuse occurring during work hours had an effect on women’s job performance. When women are receiving repeated phone calls or are being stalked on-the-job, are likely to feel anxious and/or unable to concentrate as is seen in three studies that measured job performance.

Conclusions: From the reviewed literature it can be noted that women who have experienced domestic violence are likely to face employment instability as a result of their abuse including on-the-job harassment, workplace time reductions, and job loss or unemployment. On an employment level, studies have shown that women who have support from coworkers and supervisors during their abuse are more likely to maintain employment. Family Violence Options (FVOs), adopted by a majority of states, may protect women receiving welfare from the consequences of not becoming employed or participating in welfare-to-work programs, but are not currently utilized to their fullest capacity.