Economic violence against women committed by intimate partners: a population-based study

ABSTRACT

Objective:  To identify the factors associated with economic violence against women committed by intimate partners between 2016 and 2022 in Brazil.

Method:  Population-based study using data on economic violence from the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN). Sociodemographic variables of the women and characteristics of the intimate partnership and of the violence were analyzed, fitting a multiple Poisson regression model.

Results:  The occurrence of economic violence was increased by: black, brown, or yellow skin color, lower educational attainment, disability of the victim, sex of the perpetrator, and recurrence of the violence. The factors associated with a lower occurrence of economic violence were: being older and married/in a consensual union; cases motivated by religious intolerance, generational conflict, homelessness, disability, or other specific causes; and episodes occurring in schools, public roads, or establishments such as bars.

Conclusion:  The data demonstrate the need to strengthen public policies aimed at the prevention, identification, and confrontation of economic violence in the context of intimate partnerships.

DESCRIPTORS:
Violence Against Women; Intimate Partner Violence; Human Rights Abuses; Gender Equity; Public Health Surveillance.

HIGHLIGHTS

1. Population-based study on economic violence against women.

2. Lower educational attainment increases the occurrence of economic violence.

3. Being older and married is associated with a lower occurrence of economic violence.

4. Public policies to address economic violence are needed.

RESUMO

Objetivo:  Identificar os fatores associados à violência patrimonial contra mulheres cometida pela parceria íntima entre 2016 e 2022 no Brasil.

Método:  Estudo de base populacional com dados do Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação sobre violência patrimonial. Analisaram-se variáveis sociodemográficas das mulheres e características da parceria íntima e da violência, ajustando-se modelo de regressão múltipla de Poisson.

Resultados:  Aumentou a ocorrência de violência patrimonial: cor da pele preta, parda ou amarela, menor escolaridade, deficiência da vítima, sexo do (a) agressor (a) e recorrência da violência. Os fatores associados à diminuição da ocorrência de violência patrimonial foram: ser idosa e casada/união consensual, casos motivados por intolerância religiosa, conflito geracional, situação de rua, deficiência ou outras causas específicas e episódios ocorridos em escolas, vias públicas ou estabelecimentos como bares.

Conclusão:  Os dados evidenciam a necessidade de fortalecer políticas públicas voltadas à prevenção, identificação e enfrentamento da violência patrimonial no contexto das parcerias íntimas.

DESCRITORES
Violência contra a Mulher; Violência por Parceiro Íntimo; Violação de Direitos Humanos; Equidade de Gênero; Vigilância em Saúde Pública

HIGHLIGHTS

1. Estudo de base populacional sobre violência patrimonial contra mulheres.

2. Menor escolaridade aumenta a ocorrência de violência patrimonial.

3. Ser idosa e estar casada associam-se a menor ocorrência de violência patrimonial.

4. São necessárias políticas públicas de enfrentamento da violência patrimonial.

RESUMEN

Objetivo:  Identificar los factores asociados a la violencia patrimonial contra mujeres cometida por la pareja íntima entre 2016 y 2022 en Brasil.

Método:  Estudio de base poblacional con datos del Sistema de Información de Agravios de Notificación sobre violencia patrimonial. Se analizaron variables sociodemográficas de las mujeres y características de la pareja íntima y de la violencia, ajustando un modelo de regresión múltiple de Poisson.

Resultados:  Aumentó la ocurrencia de violencia patrimonial: color de piel negra, mestiza o amarilla, menor escolaridad, discapacidad de la víctima, sexo del (la) agresor(a) y recurrencia de la violencia. Los factores asociados a la disminución de la ocurrencia de violencia patrimonial fueron: ser anciana y casada/unión consensual, casos motivados por intolerancia religiosa, conflicto generacional, situación de calle, discapacidad u otras causas específicas y episodios ocurridos en escuelas, vías públicas o establecimientos como bares.

Conclusión:  Los datos evidencian la necesidad de fortalecer políticas públicas orientadas a la prevención, identificación y enfrentamiento de la violencia patrimonial en el contexto de las parejas íntimas.

DESCRIPTORES:
Violencia contra la Mujer; Violencia de Pareja; Violaciones de los Derechos Humanos; Equidad de Género; Vigilancia en Salud Pública.

HIGHLIGHTS

1. Estudio de base poblacional sobre violencia patrimonial contra mujeres.

2. Menor escolaridad aumenta la ocurrencia de violencia patrimonial.

3. Ser anciana y estar casada se asocian a menor ocurrencia de violencia patrimonial.

4. Son necesarias políticas públicas para enfrentar la violencia patrimonial.

INTRODUCTION

The 2030 Agenda of the United Nations (UN), which addresses the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), was approved in 2015, and SDG 5 highlights the need to combat violence against women and girls, addressing gender equality and women’s empowerment¹.

Violence Against Women (VAW) can be defined as any act resulting from gender relations that causes death or physical, sexual, psychological, economic, or moral harm². In this context, domestic violence stands out as a public health problem that affects the social life of the women involved³, with power relations and gender inequality persisting as strong contributing factors⁴.

Brazil is identified as one of the countries with the highest rates of VAW. In this scenario, it ranks 5th in a ranking of more than 83 countries, behind only El Salvador, Colombia, Guatemala, and the Russian Federation⁵.

In this regard, Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is the most frequent form of VAW and is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as behaviors that cause physical, psychological, or sexual harm to people in the context of an intimate relationship⁶. The COVID-19 pandemic and the control measures adopted, such as lockdowns, mobility restrictions, and curfews, further intensified the problem⁷.

The types of violence addressed in Article 7 of Law No. 11,340 of August 7, 2006 (the Maria da Penha Law) include five forms of domestic and family violence against women, namely: physical, psychological, sexual, economic, and moral. In this study, the focus is on item IV, which addresses economic violence. Its definition encompasses any conduct involving the retention, subtraction, or partial or total destruction of a woman’s objects, work instruments, personal documents, property, assets, and rights or economic resources, including those intended to meet her needs².

Economic violence, also referred to as financial or property violence, is a form of gender-based violence that affects thousands of women in Brazil. Although it is often less visible than physical or sexual violence, it is harmful and devastating, as it violates women’s dignity, autonomy, and rights⁸.

This type of violence manifests in the denial of or difficulty in accessing important documents such as the identity card, Individual Taxpayer Registry (CPF), and birth and marriage certificates, among others. This prevents women from exercising their civil rights, seeking help in cases of domestic violence, looking for employment, or starting a new life away from the aggressor. Beyond material damages, it has a significant impact on women’s lives. The loss of economic resources and of control over property cause dependence, insecurity, and a sense of helplessness⁹.

In addition, economic violence also presents itself through economic exploitation, economic control, and employment sabotage. In economic exploitation, the aggressor carries out actions that generate financial debts for the victim. Economic control comprises the monitoring and restriction of the victim’s use of financial resources, including practices such as employment sabotage. Through these, the aggressor prevents or hinders the obtainment of income through work⁸. In this way, such violence renders the woman vulnerable and unable to make decisions that affect her life, causing destabilization and reinforcing the cycle of violence in which she feels trapped¹⁰.

To address this complex issue, it is necessary to implement actions involving different sectors of society, such as health, education, public security, and social assistance. It is essential that public policies be developed in an integrated and coordinated manner, since social cohesion and the formation of support networks play a crucial role in promoting health equity. Furthermore, it is essential to consider sociodemographic factors, both in policy formulation and in IPV prevention strategies, directing them not only toward women but also toward aggressors¹¹-¹².

In this context, despite the relevance of the topic and the growing interest in economic violence against women, important gaps remain in the scientific literature. In particular, there is a scarcity of population-based studies analyzing its magnitude at the national level, as well as limitations in identifying factors associated with this specific form of violence. Moreover, the literature is still incipient in the use of health information systems to investigate this condition in a disaggregated manner.

Therefore, this study is grounded in the theoretical framework of gender relations, articulated with the perspective of social inequalities and of violence as a public health problem, and seeks to contribute by analyzing nationwide data, broadening the understanding of the phenomenon and its associated factors.

Considering the relevance of the topic, the present study aims to identify the factors associated with economic violence against women committed by intimate partners between 2016 and 2022 in Brazil.

METHOD

This is a cross-sectional, analytical study, the reporting of which followed the recommendations of the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist¹³, aiming to ensure the transparency and quality of data presentation.

Data collection was carried out using the information recorded in the notification forms of suspected or confirmed cases of interpersonal violence, entered into the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN), through the Department of Informatics of the Unified Health System (DATASUS)¹⁴. During data collection, which was carried out between March and July 2024, the national system contained data from 2016 to 2022, which justifies the temporal scope of the data.

Notifications of suspected or confirmed cases of economic violence against women ≥18 years of age, occurring in all Brazilian states and recorded in SINAN, were included. Suspected or confirmed cases of self-inflicted violence were excluded.

Variables related to the sociodemographic characteristics of the women and of the intimate partnership were analyzed. Variables related to the investigated violence were also included, as presented in Chart 1.

Chart 1
Study variables according to type and expression. São Paulo, SP, Brazil, 2016-2022

Variable	Type	Expression
Sociodemographic characteristics of the women
Age (years)	Categorical	18 - 34; 35 - 59; ≥60.
Race/Skin color	Categorical	White; Black; Yellow; Brown; Indigenous; Unknown.
Education	Categorical	Complete primary education; Complete secondary education; Complete higher education; Unknown.
Marital status	Categorical	Single; Married/Consensual union; Widowed; Separated; Unknown.
Pregnant	Dichotomous	Yes; No; Unknown.
Has disability/disorder	Dichotomous	Yes; No; Unknown.
Characteristics of the intimate partnership and of the violence
Motivation of the violence	Categorical	Sexism; Homophobia/Lesbophobia/Biphobia/Transphobia; Racism; Religious intolerance; Xenophobia; Generational conflict; Homelessness; Disability; Other; Unknown.
Occurred other times	Dichotomous	No; Yes; Unknown.
Sex of the perpetrator	Categorical	Female; Male; Both sexes.
Suspected alcohol use	Dichotomous	No; Yes; Unknown.
Life cycle of the perpetrator	Categorical	Child (0-9 years); Adolescent (10-19 years); Youth (20-24 years); Adult (25-29 years); Older adult (≥60 years); Unknown.
Place of occurrence	Categorical	Residence; Collective housing; School; Sports facility; Bar or similar; Public road; Commerce/Services; Industry/Construction; Unknown.

The analysis of the association between the investigated factors and the occurrence of economic violence against women committed by intimate partners was performed using multiple Poisson regression models. The adjusted model included the variables that presented a p-value <0.20 in the bivariate analysis. In the multiple regression model, associations were considered statistically significant if the p-value was <0.05. Analyses were performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software, version 21.

The research was conducted with publicly accessible secondary databases, ensuring the confidentiality and anonymity of all participants, in accordance with the recommendations of Resolution No. 466 of December 12, 2012, of the National Health Council. Therefore, submission for review by a Research Ethics Committee was not necessary.

RESULTS

Between 2016 and 2022, 378,970 cases of intimate partner violence were notified in Brazil. Of this total, 14,528 (3.8%) corresponded to cases of economic violence.

It was observed that 212,180 (56.0%) of the women were aged 34 years or younger, 159,524 (42.1%) declared themselves brown, and 87,119 (23.0%) had completed secondary education. In addition, 188,150 (49.6%) were married/in a consensual union, 274,120 (72.3%) were not pregnant, and 318,438 (84.0%) did not have a disability and/or disorder (Table 1).

Table 1
Sociodemographic characteristics of women aged 18 years or older who were victims of violence committed by intimate partners. São Paulo, SP, Brazil, 2016-2022

Sociodemographic characteristics	n	%
Age (years)
18-34	212,180	56.0
35-59	155,329	41.0
≥60	11,461	3.0
Race/Skin color
White	150,886	39.8
Black	41,738	11.0
Yellow	3,225	0.9
Brown	159,524	42.1
Indigenous	3,169	0.8
Unknown	20,428	5.3
Education
Complete primary education	111,168	29.3
Complete secondary education	125,579	33.1
Complete higher education	31,129	8.2
Unknown	111,094	29.3
Marital status
Single	116,212	30.7
Married/Consensual union	188,150	49.6
Widowed	2,593	0.7
Separated	39,522	10.4
Unknown	32,493	8.6
Pregnant
No	274,120	72.3
Yes	22,585	6.0
Unknown	82,265	21.7
Has disability/disorder
No	318,438	84.0
Yes	17,890	4.7
Unknown	42,642	11.3

Considering the motivation of the violence, 127,600 (33.7%) occurred due to sexism, having already occurred other times in 234,578 (61.9%) of cases. Regarding the aggressor, 364,306 (96.1%) were male, 165,630 (43.7%) were under suspicion of alcohol use, and 238,226 (70.8%) were aged between 25 and 59 years. As for the place of occurrence, 306,780 (81.0%) of the violence cases occurred at the victim’s residence (Table 2).

Table 2
Characteristics of the intimate partnership and motivation for violence against women. São Paulo, SP, Brazil, 2016-2022

Characteristics	n	%
Motivation of the violence
Sexism	127,600	33.7
Homophobia/Lesbophobia/Biphobia/Transphobia	779	0.2
Racism	133	0.1
Religious intolerance	235	0.1
Xenophobia	239	0.1
Generational conflict	37,332	9.9
Homelessness	1,949	0.5
Disability	1,840	0.5
Other	77,755	20.5
Unknown	131,128	34.4
Occurred other times
No	95,915	25.3
Yes	234,578	61.9
Unknown	48,477	7.1
Sex of the perpetrator
Male	364,306	96.1
Female	9,616	2.5
Both sexes	5,048	1.4
Suspected alcohol use
No	133,477	35.2
Yes	165,630	43.7
Unknown	79,863	21.1
Life cycle of the perpetrator
Child (0 to 9 years)	1,072	0.3
Adolescent (10 to 19 years)	5,812	1.5
Youth (20 to 24 years)	46,793	12.3
Adult (25 to 59 years)	268,226	70.8
Older adult (≥60 years)	10,853	2.9
Unknown	46,214	12.2
Place of occurrence of the violence
Residence	306,780	81.0
Collective housing	1,704	0.4
School	1,008	0.3
Sports facility	437	0.1
Bar or similar	5,636	1.5
Public road	33,209	8.8
Commerce/Services	3,126	0.8
Industry/Construction	180	0.1
Unknown	26,890	7.0

In the bivariate analysis, the following victim variables were associated with economic violence: skin color, age, education, marital status, pregnancy, and having a disability/disorder. Regarding the aggressor’s characteristics, sex, suspected alcohol use, and life cycle were associated, while regarding the characteristics of the violence, associations were observed with motivation, having occurred other times, and the place of the event (Table 3).

Table 3
Bivariate associations using simple Poisson regression to explain economic violence against women committed by intimate partners. São Paulo, SP, Brazil, 2016-2022

Variables	PR	95% CI	p-value
Characteristics of the women
Age (years)
18-34	0.47	0.44 - 0.51	<0.001
35-59	0.71	0.66 - 0.77	<0.001
≥60	1.00
Race/Skin color
Indigenous	0.90	0.73 - 1.10	0.330
Brown	1.26	1.22 - 1.31	<0.001
Yellow	1.75	1.51 - 2.03	<0.001
Black	1.55	1.48 - 1.63	<0.001
White	1.00
Education
Up to complete primary education	1.65	1.57 - 1.74	<0.001
Up to complete secondary education	1.04	1.00 - 1.09	0.033
Complete higher education	1.00
Marital status
Separated	1.23	1.16 - 1.30	<0.001
Widowed	1.76	1.52 - 2.05	<0.001
Married/Consensual union	1.01	0.97 - 1.04	0.740
Single	1.00
Pregnant	0.79	0.73 - 0.85	<0.001
Has some type of disability/disorder	1.73	1.63 - 1.84	<0.001
Characteristics of the perpetrator
Sex
Both sexes	1.78	1.49 - 2.13	<0.001
Male	1.49	1.31 - 1.69	<0.001
Female	1.00
Suspected alcohol use	1.06	1.02 - 1.09	0.002
Life cycle
Older adult (≥60 years)	2.07	1.50 - 2.85	<0.001
Adult (25 to 59 years)	1.15	0.84 - 1.58	0.379
Youth (20 to 24 years)	0.78	0.56 - 1.07	0.117
Adolescent (10 to 19 years)	0.79	0.56 - 0.12	0.192
Child (0 to 9 years)	1.00
Characteristics of the violence
Occurred other times	3.80	3.59 - 4.02	<0.001
Motivation of the violence
Other	0.32	0.31 - 0.34	<0.001
Disability	0.42	0.32 - 0.55	<0.001
Homelessness	0.15	0.10 - 0.23	<0.001
Generational conflict	0.23	0.21 - 0.25	<0.001
Xenophobia	0.43	0.21 - 0.91	0.027
Religious intolerance	0.75	0.43 - 1.32	0.319
Racism	1.17	0.61 - 2.25	0.638
Homophobia/Lesbophobia/Biphobia/Transp hobia	0.94	0.71 - 1.24	0.647
Sexism	1.00
Place of occurrence
Industry/Construction	1.03	0.51 - 2.06	0.934
Commerce/Services	1.08	0.92 - 1.29	0.352
Public road	0.45	0.42 - 0.49	<0.001
Bar or similar	0.34	0.27 - 0.42	<0.001
Sports facility	0.54	0.29 - 1.00	0.050
School	0.26	0.14 - 0.46	<0.001
Collective housing	0.99	0.79 - 1.25	0.965
Residence	1.00

In the multiple regression analysis, the following were independently associated with an increased occurrence of economic violence against women committed by intimate partners: black (PR: 1.49; 95%CI: 1.38-1.61), yellow (PR: 1.99; 95%CI: 1.62-2.45), or brown skin color (PR: 1.44; 95%CI: 1.37-1.53) when compared to white. In addition, having studied up to primary education (PR: 1.10; 95%CI: 1.04-1.16) or secondary education (PR: 1.53; 95%CI: 1.42-1.65) when compared to higher education; having a disability/disorder (PR: 1.35; 95%CI: 1.23-1.48). The violence having occurred other times (PR: 3.14; 95%CI: 2.87-3.43) and the perpetrator being of both sexes (female and male) (PR: 1.69; 95%CI: 1.23-2.31) compared to female.

Regarding the magnitude of the effects, it was observed that being black, yellow, or brown increased the occurrence of experiencing economic violence by 49.0%, 99.0%, and 44.0%, respectively. In addition, having studied up to primary or secondary education raised the risk by 10.0% and 53.0%; having a disability or disorder increased it by 35.0%; the prior occurrence of violence raised the risk by more than threefold; and a history of intimate partnership with both sexes increased the risk by 69.0% (Table 4).

Table 4
Multiple Poisson regression analysis to explain economic violence against women committed by intimate partners. São Paulo, SP, Brazil, 2016-2022

Variables	PR	95% CI	p-value
Characteristics of the women
Age (years)
18-34	0.71	0.60 - 0.84	<0.001
35-59	0.88	0.75 - 1.04	<0.001
≥60	1.00
Race/Skin color
Indigenous	0.92	0.64 - 1.33	0.657
Brown	1.44	1.37 - 1.53	<0.001
Yellow	1.99	0.62 - 2.45	<0.001
Black	1.49	1.38 - 1.61	<0.001
White	1.00
Education
Complete primary education	1.53	0.42 - 1.65	<0.001
Complete secondary education	1.10	1.04 - 1.16	0.001
Complete higher education	1.00
Marital status
Separated	0.93	0.86 - 1.01	0.100
Widowed	1.09	0.84 - 1.42	0.497
Married/Consensual union	0.87	0.82 - 0.92	<0.001
Single	1.00
Pregnant	0.92	0.82 - 1.03	0.129
Has some type of disability/disorder	1.35	1.23 - 1.45	<0.001
Characteristics of the perpetrator
Sex
Both sexes	1.69	1.23 - 2.31	<0.001
Male	1.05	0.85 - 1.30	0.659
Female	1.00
Characteristics of the violence
Occurred other times	3.14	2.87 - 3.43	<0.001
Motivation of the violence
Other	0.30	0.28 - 0.53	<0.001
Disability	0.35	0.23 - 0.53	<0.001
Homelessness	0.17	0.08 - 0.34	<0.001
Generational conflict	0.25	0.22 - 0.28	<0.001
Xenophobia	0.44	0.17 - 1.18	0.103
Religious intolerance	0.22	0.06 - 0.90	0.034
Racism	1.02	0.42 - 2.45	0.963
Homophobia/Lesbophobia/Biphobia/Transphobia	0.95	0.66 - 1.38	0.787
Sexism	1.00
Place of occurrence
Industry/Construction	1.24	0.52 - 2.98	0.630
Commerce/Services	1.05	0.84 - 1.33	0.647
Public road	0.54	0.48 - 0.60	<0.001
Bar or similar	0.34	0.24 - 0.49	<0.001
Sports facility	0.86	0.41 - 1.80	0.687
School	0.27	0.09 - 0.84	0.023
Collective housing	0.98	0.67 - 1.44	0.934
Residence	1.00

Also independently, the following were associated with a lower occurrence of economic violence against women: being an older adult (PR: 0.71; 95%CI: 0.60-0.84) when compared to being aged between 18 and 34 years. In addition, being married (PR: 0.47; 95%CI: 0.38-0.59) when compared to being single; violence motivated by religious intolerance (PR: 0.22; 95%CI: 0.06-0.90), generational conflict (PR: 0.25; 95%CI: 0.22-0.28), homelessness (PR: 0.17; 95%CI: 0.08-0.34), disability (PR: 0.35; 95%CI: 0.23-0.53), and others (PR: 0.30; 95%CI: 0.28-0.33). As for the place of occurrence being a school (PR: 0.27; 95%CI: 0.09-0.84), a public road (PR: 0.34; 95%CI: 0.24-0.49), or a bar/similar establishment (PR: 0.54; 95%CI: 0.48-0.60) (Table 4).

Regarding the magnitude of the effects, it was observed that being an older adult reduced the occurrence of experiencing economic violence by 39.0%, while being married reduced it by 53.0%. The risk was also reduced in situations motivated by religious intolerance, generational conflict, homelessness, disability, and other reasons, as well as in events occurring at a school, public road, or bar/similar establishment (Table 4).

DISCUSSION

The present study identified the factors associated with economic violence against women committed by intimate partners in the period from 2016 to 2022 in Brazil.

In the present investigation, the fact that a woman had black or brown skin color was associated with an increased occurrence of economic violence, in agreement with other studies¹⁵-¹⁷. These studies indicate that the greater economic vulnerability of these women, influenced by sociocultural factors such as inequalities in education and employment and wage disparities, may contribute to the higher occurrence of this type of violence.

Although the occurrence of economic violence among black and brown women is widely documented and related to structural inequalities and racism, the association observed in this study with women of yellow race/skin color requires reflection. A study conducted in Chengdu (China) in 2017 showed that perceived financial strain and the spouse’s unemployment were associated with an increase in the financial control exerted against married women; this financial strain was associated with both violent behaviors and gender-control behaviors, including economic domination¹⁷. These data reinforce that economic violence cannot be understood in isolation, but rather as a result of the racial and economic inequalities that perpetuate social differences and power relations.

Regarding economic violence in women with lower educational attainment, studies¹⁸-¹⁹ demonstrate the association between low educational levels and greater vulnerability to domestic violence in general, indicating that limited access to education may represent a risk factor for the occurrence of this outcome. As economic violence is a type of domestic violence, it may also be influenced by low educational attainment, which may translate into a lack of information and, consequently, less knowledge about individual rights, resulting in a higher occurrence of this condition²⁰.

Regarding the presence of disability or disorders, the literature points to a greater vulnerability of these women to economic violence, a finding also observed in a study conducted in Mwanza, Tanzania²¹. This phenomenon can be understood in light of the structural inequalities that affect this group, increasing their economic dependence and reducing their autonomy in financial decisions. In this context, practices such as the misappropriation of social benefits, the control over the use of resources, and the limitation of participation in economic decisions constitute recurrent forms of violence, reinforcing the condition of vulnerability of these women.

The persistence of economic violence over time shows that this type of condition does not occur sporadically, but tends to recur and to be maintained at different moments in women’s lives. The study conducted in Sweden indicates that financial abuse rarely occurs in isolation and may persist even after the end of the relationship, remaining as a strategy of control and domination²². This continuous nature contributes to the maintenance of cycles of violence, with negative repercussions on women’s autonomy, mental health, and capacity to reorganize their lives, highlighting the complexity of addressing this condition.

From this same perspective, understanding economic violence requires considering the complexity of the relational dynamics in which it is embedded, especially regarding the perpetration of abusive acts. Evidence indicates that such practices may occur in contexts marked by broader interactions of power and conflict, not being restricted exclusively to a single profile of aggressor. A population-based study conducted in Germany²³, investigating the overlap between victimization and perpetration across different types of intimate partner violence, including economic violence, demonstrated that men and women presented similar frequencies both as perpetrators and as victims. These findings reinforce the need to analyze economic violence beyond simplistic categories, considering its relational and multifaceted nature.

The literature has indicated that exposure to intimate partner violence varies across the life cycle, being more frequent in younger stages. Studies indicate that younger women tend to present greater vulnerability to different forms of violence, which may be related to less life experience, limited knowledge about their rights, and the lesser consolidation of support networks outside the marital relationship²⁴-²⁵. These factors may hinder the recognition of abusive situations and the search for coping strategies, contributing to the maintenance of these dynamics.

Regarding marital status, aspects related to the stability and duration of relationships seem to play a relevant role in the dynamics of economic violence. International evidence suggests that different stages of partnerships are associated with distinct patterns of occurrence of abusive behaviors, with longer-lasting relationships linked to reductions in certain negative outcomes²⁶. On the other hand, the end of the relationship may represent a period of greater vulnerability, in which practices of economic control are used as a form of retaliation or maintenance of power²⁷. These findings reinforce the need to understand economic violence in a contextualized manner, considering the transformations in relationships over time.

Situations associated with religious intolerance, generational conflicts, homelessness, the presence of disability, or other specific circumstances tend to be expressed predominantly through other forms of violence, such as physical and sexual violence²⁸, which may explain their lower relationship with economic violence in the context of intimate partnerships, as demonstrated in the findings of this study.

Regarding the place of occurrence, it is observed that environments such as schools, public roads, and bars constitute scenarios less associated with this type of condition, corroborating evidence that economic violence occurs predominantly in the domestic space²²,²⁹. In this sense, the notion of the residence as a safe environment for women is weakened in the face of the dynamics of domestic violence, in which economic and financial control is established in a more silent and continuous manner⁹. This pattern was particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, a period in which there was an increase in cases of economic violence, possibly related to the social isolation measures that restricted access to support networks and public services²⁹. Thus, circulation in public spaces may represent an opportunity to access support and break away from abusive situations, highlighting the importance of these environments as potential protective factors.

A large number of variables without a recorded response was observed in this study. This occurrence may represent a failure in completing the mandatory notification form for suspected or confirmed cases of violence, compromising the precise characterization of the profile of victims and aggressors and, consequently, the adequate implementation of protection and confrontation measures. This condition constitutes a limitation of the present study, as does the possibility that notifications of interpersonal violence cases in SINAN may be made belatedly, which may have resulted in an underestimation of the cases. Its strength, on the other hand, lies in the possibility of accessing population-wide data on economic violence in a country of continental dimensions, such as Brazil.

CONCLUSION

The study shows that economic violence against women committed by intimate partners is influenced by social inequalities, individual vulnerabilities, and specific characteristics of affective relationships. The findings reinforce that this form of violence, although frequently rendered invisible, constitutes an important public health problem by compromising women’s economic autonomy and rights.

The identification of factors that increase or reduce its occurrence points to direct implications for the organization of public policies and intersectoral practices. In this sense, the results support the strengthening of prevention and confrontation strategies, with an emphasis on improving early identification by health, social assistance, and public security services, as well as the expansion of educational actions aimed at raising awareness about women’s rights and economic autonomy.

By synthesizing the main determinants of economic violence, the study contributes to the improvement of evidence-based public policies, offering support for actions of protection, equity, and the guarantee of women’s rights in the context of intimate partner violence in Brazil.

• HOW TO REFERENCE THIS ARTICLE:
  Papile MC, Nogueira SCMR, Parada CMGL, Parenti ABH, de Almeida RJ, Carvalheira APP. Economic violence against women committed by intimate partners: a population-based study. Cogitare Enferm [Internet]. 2026 [cited “insert year, month and day”];31:e101716en. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1590/ce.v31i0.101716en

Data availability:

The authors declare that the data can be made available upon request to the corresponding author.

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Edited by

• Associate editor:
  Dra. Mariana Torreglosa Ruiz

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  27 July 2026
• Date of issue
  2026

History

• Received
  23 Oct 2025
• Accepted
  28 Apr 2026