Key Points
- Forty-one per cent of Australians wrongly believe domestic violence is equally perpetrated by men and women.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows males are the perpetrators in most domestic violence cases.
- Federal, state, and territory governments aim to end violence against women and children in one generation.
This article contains references to family and domestic violence, and sexual assault.
Two in five Australians mistakenly believe domestic violence is perpetrated by women at equal rates to men, findings from a survey released by Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety (ANROWS) has revealed.
More than 19,000 Australians aged 16 and over took part in the 2021 National Community Attitudes Survey (NCAS), which found that while overall attitudes towards violence against women have improved, there is still a long way to go.
Forty-one per cent of respondents believed that domestic violence was equally perpetrated by men and women — an increase from 23 per cent in the 2009 survey.
While showed males were the perpetrators in most instances of domestic violence, only 57 per cent of NCAS respondents believed that to be the case.
"It is extremely worrying that many Australians don't understand that domestic violence is predominantly perpetrated by men against women," ANROWS chief executive Padma Raman said in a statement.
Other findings of concern included that while 91 per cent of respondents believed violence against women was a problem in Australia, less than half (47 per cent) believed it was a problem in their own suburb or town.
Contrary to evidence, more than a third of respondents believed it was common for accusations of sexual assault to be used as a way of getting back at men, and that women going through custody battles often made up or exaggerated claims of domestic violence to gain tactical advantage in their case.
One in four also believed that a woman who did not leave an abusive partner was partly responsible for the abuse continuing.
The NCAS results also showed an increase of almost 30 per cent between 2013 and 2021 in the number of respondents who considered controlling a partner by denying them money a form of domestic violence.
Four in five respondents (81 per cent) also disagreed that women find it flattering to be persistently pursued, even if they aren't interested — an increase from 68 per cent in 2017.
"Whilst these findings show really pleasing shifts in Australians' attitudes towards sexual violence, we still have a long way to go in correcting victim-blaming attitudes and rape myths," Ms Raman said.
The federal, state, and territory governments last year .
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said the gaps in knowledge highlighted by the NCAS would help governments to better understand where they need to focus their energies reaching that goal.
"By all pulling in the same direction we can achieve this, but governments can't do it on their own," she said in a statement.
"Ending violence against women and children is everybody’s responsibility and everybody’s business."
A "key piece" in eliminating violence against women and children is "addressing the attitudes that can support it," Ms Rishworth said.
"This includes attitudes that deny gender equality, that seek to limit women's autonomy in relationships and that objectify women and disregard consent,” she said.
If you or someone you know is impacted by family and domestic violence or sexual assault call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit . In an emergency, call 000.
, operated by No to Violence, can be contacted on 1300 766 491.
