Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Are Effects of Violence on Life Satisfaction Gendered? A Case Study of Indigenous Australians

  • Research Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Happiness Studies Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Violence related Australian statistics reveal a higher prevalence of violence among indigenous Australians than non-indigenous Australians. Using the latest National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (2014/2015) available from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, this study investigates the socio-economic and demographic factors that influence the likelihood of physical violence among indigenous Australians and the effects of physical violence on life satisfaction, with a special focus on gender differences in such effects. The results indicate that while gender is an important determinant of violence victimisation, homelessness, alcohol and substance consumption, a victim of the stolen generation and remote living increase the likelihood of physical violence victimisation. Our results also reveal that, while physical violence negatively affects the life satisfaction of both women and men, exposure to physical violence reduces the life satisfaction of indigenous women more than indigenous men.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. None of the interaction between any other variable and gender dummy other than the interaction between violence and gender dummy was statistically significant.

  2. For more details, please refer to The National Council to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children (2009). Domestic Violence Laws in Australia. Canberra, Commonwealth of Australia.

References

  • ABS. (2002). National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey, 2002 summary findings. Canberra: ABS.

    Google Scholar 

  • ABS. (2006). Law and justice satistics—Aboriginal and torres strait islander people: A Snapshot. Canberra: Australian Bereau of Statistics.

    Google Scholar 

  • ABS. (2015). The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey 2014/15: Expanded Confidential Unit Record files (CURF). DataLab, Findings based on use of ABS Microdata.

  • ABS. (2017). Personal safety survey 2016. Canberra: ABS.

    Google Scholar 

  • Allison, P. D. (1999). Comparing logit and probit coefficients across groups. Sociological Methods and Research, 28(2), 186–208.

    Google Scholar 

  • Al-Yaman, F., Van Doeland, M., & Wallis, M. (2006). Family violence among aboriginal and torres strait islander peoples. Canberra: AIHW.

    Google Scholar 

  • Asadi, S., Mirghafourvand, M., Yavarikia, P., Mohammad-Alizadeh-Charandabi, S., & Nikan, F. (2017). Domestic violence and its relationship with quality of life in Iranian women of reproductive age. Journal of Family Violence, 32(4), 453–460.

    Google Scholar 

  • Atkinson, J. (1994). Recreating the circle with WE AL-LI: A program for healing sharing and regeneration. Aboriginal and Islander Health Worker Journal, 18(6), 8–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Biddle, N. (2014a). Measuring and analysing the well-being of Australia’s Indigenous Population. Social Indicators Research, 116(3), 713–729.

    Google Scholar 

  • Biddle, N. (2014b). The relationship between community and individual measures of well-being: Comparisons by remoteness for indigenous Australians. Australian Geographer, 45(1), 53–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bolger, A. (1991). Aboriginal women and violence: A report for the criminology research council and the Northern Territory Commissioner of Police. Darwin: Australian National University North Australia Research Unit.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bryant, C., & Willis, M. (2008). Risk factors in indigenous violent victimisation. Technical and background paper. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology.

  • Bryant, C. (2009). Identifying the risks for indigenous violent victimisation. Technical and background paper series. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC), 6

  • Camaron, C., & Trivedi, P. (2010). Microeconometrics using Sata. Collage Station, TX: StatCorp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Closing the Gap Clearinghouse (AIHW & AIFS). (2016). Family violence prevention programs in indigenous communities. Canberra: AIHW & Melbourne: AIFS, Produced by the Closing the Gap Clearinghouse. Resource sheet no. 37.

  • Council of Australian Governments. (2011). National plan to reduce violence against women and their children. Canberra: Council of Australian Governments.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cripps, K., & McGlade, H. (2008). Indigenous family violence and sexual abuse: Considering pathways forward. Journal of Family Studies, 14(2/3), 240–253.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cunneen, C., & Libesman, T. (2000). Postcolonial trauma: The contemporary removal of indigenous children and young people from their families in Australia. Australian Journal of Social Issues, 35(2), 99–115.

    Google Scholar 

  • Day, A., & Fernandez, E. (2015). Preventing violence in Australia: Policy, practice and solutions. Sydney: The Federation Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dobash, R. P., & Dobash, R. E. (2004). Women’s violence to men in intimate relationships: Working on a puzzle. British Journal of Criminology, 44(3), 324–349.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dolan, P., & White, M. (2007). How can measures of subjective well-being be used to Inform Public Policy? Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2(1), 71–85.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edwards, R. W., & Madden, R. (2001). The health and welfare of Australia’s aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and Australian Bureau of Statistics.

    Google Scholar 

  • El-Bassel, N., Gilbert, L., Rajah, V., & Frye, V. (2001). Social support among women in methadone treatment who experience partner violence. Violence Against Women, 7(3), 246–274.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellsberg, M., & Heise, L. (2005). Researching violence against women: A practical guide for researchers and activists. Washington, DC: World Health Organization.

    Google Scholar 

  • Felson, M., & Cohen, L. (1980). Human ecology and crime: A routine activity approach. Human Ecology, 8, 389–406.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, H. S., Kern, M. L., & Reynolds, C. A. (2010). Personality and health, subjective well-being, and longevity. Journal of Personality, 78(1), 179–215.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gondolf, E. (1998). Battered women as survivors: An alternative to learned helplessness. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jasinski, J. L. (2010). Hard lives, mean streets violence in the lives of homeless women. Boston: Northeastern University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kahneman, D., & Sugden, R. (2005). Experienced utility as a standard of policy evaluation. Environmental & Resource Economics, 32(1), 161–181.

    Google Scholar 

  • Layard, R. (2006). Happiness and public policy: A challenge to the profession. Economic Journal, 116(510), c24–c33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, A., & Browne, M. O. (2008). Subjective well-being, sociodemographic factors, mental and physical health of rural residents. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 16(5), 290–296.

    Google Scholar 

  • Manning, M., Ambrey, C. L., & Fleming, C. M. (2016). A longitudinal study of indigenous wellbeing in Australia. Journal of Happiness Studies, 17, 2503–2525.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mow, K. E. (1992). Tjunparni: Family violence in indigenous Australia. Canberra: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murray, S. (2011). Violence against homeless women: Safety and social policy. Australian Social Work, 64(3), 346–360.

    Google Scholar 

  • Poutiainen, M., & Holma, J. (2013). Subjectively evaluated effects of domestic violence on well-being in clinical populations. ISRN Nursing, 2013(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/347235.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Read, P. (1999). A rape of the soul so profound: The return of the stolen generations. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rees, S., Silove, D., Chey, T., Ivancic, L., Steel, Z., Creamer, M., et al. (2011). Lifetime prevalence of gender-based violence in women and the relationship with mental disorders and psychosocial function. JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association, 306(5), 513–521.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, B. (2000). Aboriginal and torres strait islander women’s taskforce on violence report, 2000. Aboriginal and Islander Health Worker Journal. Queensland, Australia, Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy and Development.

  • Rose, L. E., Campbell, J., & Kub, J. (2000). The role of social support and family relationships in women’s responses to battering. Health Care for Women International, 21, 27–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sambisa, W., Angeles, G., Lance, P. M., Naved, R. T., & Thornton, J. (2011). Prevalence and correlates of physical spousal violence against women in Slum and Nonslum areas of Urban Bangladesh. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 26(13), 2592–2618.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sampson, R. J. (1987). Personal violence by strangers: An extension and test of the opportunity model of predatory victimization. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 78(2), 327–356.

    Google Scholar 

  • Santos, C. (2013). Costs of domestic violence: A life satisfaction approach. Fiscal Studies, 34(3), 391–409.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saunders, D. G. (2002). Are physical assaults by wives and girlfriends a major social problem? A review of the literature. Violence Against Women, 8(12), 1424–1448.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sekulic, D., Massey, G., & Hodson, R. (1994). Who were the Yugoslavas: Failed sources of a common identity in the former Yugoslavia. American Sociological Review, 59, 83–97.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sen, P. (1999). Enhancing women’s choices in responding to domestic violence in Calcutta: A comparison of employment and education. European Journal of Development Research, 11(2), 65–86.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shields, M. A., Price, S. W., & Wooden, M. (2009). Life satisfaction and the economic and social characteristics of neighbourhoods. Journal of Population Economics, 22(2), 421–443.

    Google Scholar 

  • Snowball, L., & Weatherburn, D. (2008). Theories of indigenous violence: A preliminary empirical assessment. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 41(2), 216–235.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stiglitz, J. E., Sen, A., & Fitoussi, J. (2009). Report by the commission on the measurement of economic performance and social progress. Paris: Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tavoli, Z., Tavoli, A., Amirpour, R., Hosseini, R., & Montazeri, A. (2016). Quality of life in women who were exposed to domestic violence during pregnancy. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 16(1), 16–19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-016-0810-6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • The National Council to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children. (2009). Domestic violence laws in Australia. Commonwealth of Australia; Canberra.

  • Tomyn, A. J., Norrish, J. M., & Cummins, R. A. (2013). The subjective wellbeing of indigenous Australian adolescents: Validating the personal wellbeing index-school children. Social Indicators Research, 110, 1013–1031.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trotter, J. L., & Allen, N. E. (2009). The good, the bad, and the ugly: Domestic violence survivors’ experiences with their informal social networks. American Journal of Community Psychology, 43(3–4), 221–231.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vyas, S., Mbwambo, J., & Heise, L. (2015). Feminist economics. Women’s Paid Work and Intimate Partner Violence: Insights from Tanzania, 21(1), 35–58.

    Google Scholar 

  • WHO. (2017). Violence against women factsheets. Retrieved 20 August, 2018, from http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/violence-against-women.

  • Williams, R. (2010). Fitting heterogeneous choice models with OGLM. The Stata Journal, 10(4), 540–567.

    Google Scholar 

  • Willis, M. (2011). Non-disclosure of violence in Australian Indigenous Communities. Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice no. 405. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology

  • Wright, R., & Jacobs, J. (1994). Male Flight from computer-work: A new look at occupational resegregation and ghettoization. American Sociological Review, 59, 511–536.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the team in Customised and Microdata Delivery, Australian Bureau of Statistics for providing access to NATSISS data. We are also grateful to the participants at the Australian Gender Economics Workshop, 2019 in Melbourne for their constructive comments and suggestions. The authors gratefully acknowledge the funds provided by Griffith Asia Institute to undertake this research project. The authors also wish to thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maneka Jayasinghe.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Jayasinghe, M., Selvanathan, E.A. & Selvanathan, S. Are Effects of Violence on Life Satisfaction Gendered? A Case Study of Indigenous Australians. J Happiness Stud 22, 71–94 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-020-00219-7

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-020-00219-7

Keywords

JEL Classification

Navigation