A woman crying | Photo: Unsplash/Thought Catalog
Bisexual women are nearly twice as likely to be abused by a partner than straight women.
The information comes via the Office of National Statistics. Their report covers women aged 16-59 in England and Wales from March 2015 to 2017. Many of the statistics are alarming.
The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) defines domestic abuse as three different types:
- Non-sexual abuse — physical, financial, emotional, etc.
- Sexual assault and rape
- Stalking and threats
Bisexual women in danger
In the last 12 months, 10.9% of bisexual women surveyed have experienced domestic abuse of some kind. This is compared to 6% of heterosexual women.
There are more differences when different types of abuse are taken into account.
For example, 6.8% of bisexual women reported experiencing non-sexual abuse compared to 3.9% of straight women.
Matters become much more dire when looking at sexual assault. Bisexual women are fives times as likely to suffer sexual assault from a partner compared to straight women (1.9% to 0.4%).
This links up to other risks bisexual people face. A third of UK bisexual students face bullying and are also more likely to self-harm.
Because of these challenges and fears, bisexual people hide their sexuality more than gay people.
Other factors that contribute
Younger women also experience more abuse than older women.
Women aged 16-19 and 20-24 reported abuse the most out of the surveyed age groups.
ONS graph of age | Photo: ONS
Other results from this survey reveal that women suffering from illness and disabiliy, mixed race women, and women from lower incomes face more abuse.
13% of women with a dehabilitating illness or disability suffer from abuse, compared to 5% of women without an illness or disability.
10% of mixed race women, compared to a little over 6% of white and black women, face abuse.
Finally, women who live in a household with an annual income less than £10,000 were five times more likely to suffer abuse than women living in a household with an income of more than £50,000.
