FSD3110 Domestic Violence Met by Educated Women 2015

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Study title

Domestic Violence Met by Educated Women 2015

Dataset ID Number

FSD3110

Persistent identifier

urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3110

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

  • Pitkänen, Maiju (University of Helsinki. Department of Practical Theology)

Other Identification/Acknowledgements

  • Professor Anne Birgitta Pessi (University of Helsinki) worked as the supervisor of the Master's thesis, and Professor Raija Sollamo worked as a coordinator on the international "Domestic Violence Met by Educated Women" project.

Abstract

This survey study charted domestic violence met by highly educated women in Finland. The study focused on the forms, prevalence and effects of domestic violence. The survey also examined the importance of faith as a coping resource in abusive relationships. The study was carried out as a part of a Master's thesis, and it is also a part of the international "Domestic Violence Met by Educated Women" (DVMEW) research project, which is a Grundtvig Multilateral Project funded by the European Commission's Lifelong Learning programme.

The respondents were first asked about violence they may have seen or experienced in their childhood home or in other families' homes. The women were also asked to evaluate the intensity of the violence they had experienced in their childhood. Next, the participants' experiences of their current or latest steady relationship were examined with questions about whether the woman identified, physically and mentally, as the stronger or the weaker party, and whether or not the woman felt like she was valued in the relationship. The partner's education level in relation to the woman's own educational background was also enquired, as well as the general quality of the relationship. The respondents' opinions on their current or latest partner's character were recorded with yes/no answers on a set of characteristics, such as "He/she tries to restrict me from meeting with my friends and relatives"; "He/she demands to know who I am with and when I will return home"; "He/she threatens to harm the children"; and "He/she intentionally damages our shared property". The women were also asked about how frequently during the relationship their partner had, for instance, belittled them, used derogatory names, or acted in a violent manner (e.g. by slapping, hitting, throwing with a hard object, strangling, and pressuring or forcing to have sex with them).

The next questions concerned the first signs that had led to serious acts of domestic violence, according to the respondents who had experienced violence in their current relationship. The women assessed their common reactions at the moment of the violent act with yes/no questions. The frequency of violent acts, the women's own means of defence, physical injuries and other results of abuse, such as nightmares and lack of concentration, were enquired about as well. The respondents' views on the source of the partner's violent behaviour were also probed. The respondents were asked if they had sought help from different authorities and other professionals, and whether or not they had been satisfied with the help they had received. Reasons for not seeking help were also examined.

The importance of faith in the respondents' lives was investigated next. The respondents were asked to describe if faith had worked as a coping resource in an abusive relationship or if it had had negative effects during times of domestic violence. Views were also examined on other possible coping resources and the best means for coping in a relationship. The respondents whose partners had stopped acting violently toward them were asked to evaluate reasons behind it. Finally, the respondents answered similar questions about domestic violence as before, but regarding an earlier relationship.

The survey started by charting the respondents' background information. Mandatory questions included the woman's marital status and education level. Background variables also included the respondent's and her children's ages, number of people in the household, and the respondent's economic independence in the relationship.

Keywords

assault; domestic violence; empowerment; faith; the highly educated; women

Topic Classification

Series

Individual datasets

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

The dataset is (B) available for research, teaching and study.

Data Collector

  • Pitkänen, Maiju (University of Helsinki. Department of Practical Theology)

Time Period Covered

2015

Collection Dates

2014-12-15 – 2015-01-14

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

Finnish women with a degree from a higher education institution

Time Method

Cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Non-probability: Availability

The survey data were gathered with the electronic questionnaire service E-lomake. A link to the questionnaire was posted on the web page of the Finnish Federation of Graduate Women (about 1,000 members) and on the electronic newsletter of the Finnish Union of University Researchers and Teachers (4,072 female members). No data is available on how many women opened a link to the questionnaire or received the electronic newsletter.

Collection Mode

Self-administered questionnaire: Web-based (CAWI)

Research Instrument

Structured questionnaire

Data File Language

Downloaded data package may contain different language versions of the same files.

The data files of this dataset are available in the following languages: Finnish.

FSD translates quantitative data into English on request, free of charge. More information on ordering data translation.

Data Version

1.0

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

To prevent identification of respondents, the age variable in the data (bv1) was categorised into larger groups and multiple answers to open-ended questions were modified.

Weighting

There are no weight variables in the data.

Citation Requirement

The data and its creators shall be cited in all publications and presentations for which the data have been used. The bibliographic citation may be in the form suggested by the archive or in the form required by the publication.

Bibliographical Citation

Pitkänen, Maiju (University of Helsinki): Domestic Violence Met by Educated Women 2015 [dataset]. Version 1.0 (2017-09-20). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3110

Deposit Requirement

Notify FSD of all publications where you have used the data by sending the citation information to user-services.fsd@tuni.fi.

Disclaimer

The original data creators and the archive bear no responsibility for any results or interpretations arising from the reuse of the data.

Related Materials

Pitkänen, Maiju (2015). Kaiken se kärsii, kaikessa toivoo? Suomalaisten korkeakoulutettujen naisten kokemukset parisuhdeväkivallasta ja uskosta voimavarana. Helsinki: Helsingin yliopisto. Kirkkososiologian pro gradu -tutkielma. http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:hulib-201511263857

Related Publications Tooltip

Pitkänen, Maiju (2015). Kaiken se kärsii, kaikessa toivoo? Suomalaisten korkeakoulutettujen naisten kokemukset parisuhdeväkivallasta ja uskosta voimavarana. Helsinki: Helsingin yliopisto. Kirkkososiologian pro gradu -tutkielma. http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:hulib-201511263857

Pitkänen, Maiju (2015). Domestic Violence Met by Educated Finnish Women [verkkodokumentti]. Bachelor of Theology, University of Helsinki. http://akateemisetnaiset.fi/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Pitk%C3%A4nen-2015-05-08.pdf [viitattu 25.9.2017].

Pitkänen, Maiju (2016). Pelkoa, nöyryyttämistä ja mustelmia. Joka neljäs korkeakoulutettu nainen parisuhdeväkivallan uhri. Diakonian tutkimus/Journal for the Study of Diakonia, 2/2016, 178-183.

Study description in machine readable DDI-C 2.5 format

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