Cohabitation, Marriage, and Men’s Intimate Partner Violence Victimization

ABSTRACT

This study examines the elevated risk of intimate partner violence against men in cohabiting relative to marital unions using a large-scale representative survey of Canada. A theoretical framework is applied which distinguishes cohabiting and marital unions in terms of characteristics that select them into their union type and consequential characteristics of their relationships. Consistent with previous research on women’s victimization, results show that selection (young age) and relationship (partner’s jealousy, possessiveness, domination and alcohol abuse) variables account for cohabiting men’s elevated risk of violent victimization. This suggests that as cohabitation becomes more normative in society, cohabitors will become a less select group and the risk of violence against cohabiting men will eventually converge with that of married men.

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