Why counting the number of UK women who have experienced economic abuse matters – and what we must do about our findings

Blog from SEA’s Head of Impact and Partnerships, Rosa Wilson Garwood:

Click here to read our latest survey findings, ‘Measuring economic abuse: Preliminary findings on the prevalence and impact of economic abuse on women in the UK’

As a feminist who is passionate about the power of data to understand and improve the lives of women, these survey findings are a stark reminder of the scale of the challenge ahead, but also the important role of evidence to inform the response to economic abuse.

This year, the survey data — a nationally representative sample surveyed by Ipsos UK on behalf of Surviving Economic Abuse — felt urgent to share quickly. 4.1 million women experienced this devastating, and often hidden, form of domestic abuse in the last 12 months alone.^[1]

Economic abuse involves a current or ex-partner controlling a victim-survivor’s money and the things that money can buy. It has long-lasting and damaging effects. Nearly a quarter of victim-survivors were prevented from leaving a dangerous partner because of economic abuse — equivalent to 940,000 women^[2] — with serious risks of harm, including homicide.

We know that tackling economic abuse must be part of the solution to meet the new government’s ambitious target to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. Economic abuse is causing victim-survivors to remain trapped with their abuser with major barriers to leaving.

We also know “what gets counted, counts”. And economic abuse must count. It is essential that the government’s measurement approach can understand the economic restriction, exploitation and sabotage that victim-survivors experience at scale across the UK.

Victim-survivors have helped to design this survey, and I am grateful for their expertise and insights. The data tells a powerful story that reflects women’s experiences of economic abuse across the UK. I look forward to further analysis with survivors and partners over the coming weeks.

The full report will be launched in March 2025, but for now we are sharing an early release of key headlines here: ‘Measuring economic abuse‘.

As you will read, there are some important early findings from the data:

• Black, Asian and racially minoritised women in the UK are more than twice as likely to experience economic abuse from a partner or ex-partner than White women, with women with a Black/African/Caribbean or Black British ethnicity particularly at risk.
• Disabled women in the UK are nearly twice as likely to experience economic abuse from a partner or ex-partner than non-disabled women.
• Economic abuse is often understood to only be about creating dependency through restriction, but 2.9 million women experienced economic exploitation in the last 12 months.^[3] For example, having a partner or ex-partner steal money, refuse to pay bills, or scare their partner into taking out credit. Early analysis also suggests that a wider range of behaviours may continue post-separation than previously thought.
• The data also shines a light on the dangerous situation for young women — an area for which we’re seeking funding to explore further. 18–24-year-olds experienced more economic abuse than any other age group. For example, 12% had been prevented from having login information (e.g. usernames, passwords) to key accounts such as online banking, utilities accounts and emails by a partner or ex-partner, compared to 4% of all women.

We look forward to sharing the full report in 2025 and will also be sharing the dataset on our website, so that other researchers and policymakers can benefit from the data in their own work.

This work was supported by the UK Prevention Partnership, an initiative funded by UK Research and Innovation Councils, the Department of Health and Social Care (England) and the UK devolved administrations, and leading health research charities.

[1] The survey finding is 15%, an estimated 4.13 million women aged 18+ in the UK; we can be 95% confident that the correct figure is +/-1.3% which is 13.7% — 16.3% (between an estimated 4.07 million and 4.18 million).
[2] Of the 15% of UK women 18+ who have experienced behaviour(s) considered to be economic abuse, 23% (equivalent to 942,000) say the abuse prevented them from leaving the relationship; we can be 95% confident that the correct figure is +/- 3.6%, which is 19.4% — 26.6% (between an estimated 908,000 and 976,000).
[3] The survey finding is 11%, an estimated 2.90 million women aged 18+ in the UK; we can be 95% confident that the correct figure is +/- 1.1%, which is 9.9% — 12.1% (between an estimated 2.87 million and 2.93 million).