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Measuring Violence Against Women: Statistical Trends 2006

Did You Know…

More than 6% of Ontario women living in a common-law or marital relationship report experiencing physical/sexual assault by a spousal partner. (1)
The majority of victims of spousal violence are women, representing 83% of victims. (2)
In domestic homicide cases in Ontario men are the perpetrators in 92% of cases and women are the victims in 91% of cases. (3)

Women are three times more likely to report that they had been beaten, choked, sexually assaulted, or threatened with a gun or knife by their partner or ex-partner. (4)

One in five homicides in Canada involves the killing of an intimate partner. (5)
There have been approximately 25 female victims of spousal homicide each year in Ontario from 1975-2004. (6)
Spousal homicides represent about 16% of all homicides in Canada. (7)

Less than one quarter of victims of spousal violence report the incident to the police. (8)
Many victims are victimized multiple times before they report to police. (9)

Spousal violence is most prevalent amongst 25 to 34 year olds. (10)

Aboriginal women are three times more likely to experience spousal violence than non-Aboriginal women. (11)
The rate of spousal homicide for Aboriginal women is eight times greater than for non-Aboriginal women. (12)

Almost 40% of women assaulted by spouses said their children witnessed the violence against them, and in many cases the violence was severe. (13)

A snapshot survey found that there were over 30,000 women and children staying in various types of shelters across Ontario on a given day. (14)
For every 100,000 married, common-law and separated women in Ontario, there are 29 women in shelters to escape domestic violence. (15)
Over half of abused women are admitted to shelters with their children. (16)

Spousal violence has psychological, physical, social and economic impacts for victims, their families and society. (17)
Estimated economic costs of violence against women in terms of health, criminal justice, social services and lost productivity range in the billions of dollars. (18)

Did You Know…

It is estimated that one in three Canadian women will experience sexual assault in their adult life. (19)

In 2004, 93% of reported adult sexual assault victims were women. (20)
In 2007, 97% of those accused of sexual assault were men. (21)

Fewer than one in ten victims report the crime to the police. (22)
Women may not report because they fear they will not be believed, feel ashamed, blame themselves, or fear public scrutiny. (23)

The victim and accused are known to each other in 82% of sexual assault incidents - this can include friends, acquaintances and family members. (24)
Sexual assault can occur between spouses or within intimate relationships. Sexual assault within marriage was defined as a criminal offence in 1983. (25)
Sexual assaults can occur in private residences, restaurants and bars, schools, and office buildings. (26)

Young people between the ages of 15 to 24 are 18 times more likely to be sexually assaulted than those over the age of 55. (27)
It is estimated that 15% of Canadian female university students experience sexual assault. (28)
Aboriginal women and women with disabilities are at increased risk of experiencing sexual assault. (29)

Alcohol, not Rohypnol or other “date rape drugs”, is the most common drug involved in drug-facilitated sexual assault. (30)

72% confide in friends, 41% turn to family and other informal sources of support, 33% turn to co-workers and 13% turn to doctors and nurses. (31)

Sexual assault may not leave obvious physical injuries. A perpetrator may use threats, the presence of weapons or other coercive actions that do not leave obvious marks. (32)
Lack of physical injury does not mean that a woman was not sexually assaulted. (33)

Emotional symptoms may occur immediately after the assault, or may be delayed over weeks and months. She may be crying or she may be calm. She may be silent, or she may be very angry. (34)
A woman’s outward behaviour is not an indicator of her experience of trauma. It is important not to judge a woman’s experience by how she responds to the assault. (35)

Sexual offences are less likely than other types of violent crime to result in a finding of guilt. (36)
However, those found guilty of sexual offences in adult court are more likely to receive sentences that include prison terms compared to other violent crimes. (37)

For victims, this can included unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, substance abuse and other mental health problems. (38)
Society is also impacted through lost productivity, and costs to the health care system resulting from long-term physical and mental health issues faced by victims. Working towards preventing sexual violence before it occurs can help prevent these long-term impacts. (39)

Did You Know…

23% of Canadian women experience sexual harassment in the workplace. Over half of these women (55%) are harassed by a co-worker. (40)
11% of non-Aboriginal women and 21% of Aboriginal women report experiencing stalking. (41)

76% of victims of criminal harassment or stalking are women. (42)

Female victims are twice as likely to be stalked by a current or former intimate partner as male victims. (43)
Women are more likely to be followed and spied on, and to have stalkers waiting outside their homes and workplace. (44)

Over 60% of stalking victims choose not to report the incident to police. (45)

Did You Know…

Over 58% of women are part of the paid work force in Canada – more than double the number in 1976.
55% of all Canadian doctors and dentists are female, up from 43% in 1987. (47)

The number of self-employed women has grown by 18 percent since 1996.
It is estimated that 47% of small and medium enterprises in Canada have some degree of female ownership.
16% of small and medium enterprises are majority owned by women.

Among those with a university degree 74% of women and 77% of men are employed
Women with less than a grade nine education are only half as likely to be employed as their male counterparts.

11% of women and 19% of men are self-employed.
Overall, women account for 35% of all self-employed workers, up from 26% in 1976.

26% of employed women work less than 30 hours per week at their main job - compared with just 11% of employed men.
Women have accounted for about seven in 10 of all part-time employees in Canada since the late 1970s. (52)

Nearly one in five female part time workers are employed part-time because of personal or family responsibilities.
13% of women part time workers did not work full time because they were caring for children.
Only 2.3% of male part-time workers do so because of family responsibilities.

64% of Canadian women with children under the age of 3 are employed – more than double the number in 1976.
72% of women with children under 16 are part of the employed workforce.

Over 80% of women without children are employed.

68% of female single parents with children are employed, compared with 73% of their counterparts in two-parent families.

Women represent 87% of those working in nursing, therapy, 75% of clerical and administrative workers, 65% of teachers, and 57% of sales and service personnel.
67% of all employed women work in one of these occupational groups.

Women represent 30% of workers in manufacturing are women, 19% of workers in primary industries, and just 6% of those in transportation, trades, and construction work.
Women represent 22% of professionals employed in the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics.

60% of minimum wage earners in Canada are women.

56% of multiple job holders are women.

51% of immigrant women are employed compared to 58% of women born in Canada.

54% of Aboriginal women are employed, compared to over 58% of non-Aborignal women.

In 2009, the female immigrant unemployment rate reached 9.6%, up from 7.4% in 2008.
The female Aboriginal unemployment rate was 12.7% in 2009, up from 10% in 2008.
The unemployment rate for women born in Canada was 6.3% in 2009, up from 5.2% in 2008.
Women who are very recent immigrants have the highest unemployment rate – 15.9% in 2009.

For workers with less than a grade 9 education, women’s earnings are 51% of those of men.
While the wage gap narrows for those with higher levels of education, women working full-year, full-time with a university degree earn about 30% less than equally educated men.
The wage gap is increasingly being seen as a productivity gap – when women are under-employed or not trained to their full potential (or both) there are productivity losses to the entire economy.

Did You Know…

More than half of all women in Canada have some form of post-secondary educational training. (65)
52% of all Bachelor degrees in Canada are held by women. However, women hold only 44% of Masters Degrees and 27% of earned doctorates. (66)
Women represent 58% of undergraduate students enrolled at Canadian universities. (67)

76% of students enrolled in education programs are women.
71% of students enrolled in health and related fields are women.

Women represent only 27% of students enrolled in mathematics, computer and information sciences.
Women represent only 21% of students enrolled in architecture, engineering and related technologies.

75% of women with university degrees had jobs.
Only 56% of women with a high school diploma were employed.

Women working full-year, full-time with less than a grade nine education earned an average $20,800, less than 35% of what women with a university degree earned ($62,000).

Did You Know…

Women represent 10% of apprentices in Canada, more than double the proportion in 1992. (72)
Women represent 19% of apprentices in Ontario. (73)

Women represent less than 3% of apprentices in the automotive service trade group.
Women represent 1% in the heavy equipment and crane operator trade group.
Women represent less than 1% of apprentices in the plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters trade group.

Women represent 33% of apprentices in the food services trade group.
Women represent more than 92% of apprentices in the hairstylists and estheticians trade group.

This resource presents statistics to help convey the dimensions and nature of violence against women, the impacts and consequences, societal responses and supports for victims, and women’s use of criminal justice and other services.

End notes:

Resources and Links

Statistics

Domestic Violence

Sexual Violence

Sexual Harassment and Stalking

Women and Work

Women and Education

Women in apprenticeship training

Measuring Violence Against Women: Statistical Trends 2006

End notes:

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