INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE IN BLACK MIDDLE-CLASS FAMILIES DURING ECONOMIC DOWNTURNS AND SOCIAL UNREST

Abstract

In domestic violence scholarship, the literature finds that Black women experience higher intimate partner violence (IPV) rates across all income levels. However, little attention is given to understanding the intersectionality of these women. This study investigates IPV against Black women from a Black feminist lens. Using Straus and Murray’s 1976’s Physical Violence in American Families survey, class status (emphasizing the occupational, as defined by Black-middle class studies), economic strain, and race provide the opportunity to assess the varying effects on husband-to-wife abuse rates. This data was used because of the social context at the time (i.e., social unrest, recession) of collection and availability of the occupational title variable. The data is analyzed using a negative binomial, while a second model explores the use of a three-way interaction variable. Results suggest income remains a strong predictor of husband-to-wife violence; however, occupational becomes a predictor for abuse (verbal and/or physical violence). Economic strain was not significant for violence or abuse. The results suggest that income remains the better predictor of IPV against women for both races, while the occupational is tangential. Moreover, future research should explore how to capture and measure social strain to understand the potential impact on IPV rates.