Public discussion of domestic violence often assumes men are virtually always the aggressor and women virtually always the victim. Actual research paints a more complicated picture.
Several large academic studies — including analyses published in the American Journal of Public Health and the Psychological Bulletin, and research funded by the National Institute of Mental Health — have found that violence in relationships is often reciprocal, that women initiate violence at meaningful rates, and that a substantial share of physical injuries from domestic assault are suffered by men. Researchers who’ve studied this, including Dr. Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling and Dr. Donald Dutton, have noted that crime-report statistics likely undercount male victims, since men underreport domestic violence more than women do.
We share this research because it matters: domestic violence policy and family-court practice should reflect the fact that both men and women can be victims, and both can be perpetrators.