Nationally, 55% of all women report having been raped and/or physically assaulted in their lifetime, affecting both their physical and mental health.
What percentage of women are victims of violence?
55% of women in the United States report having experienced violence.
Due to the serious lack of consistent and reliable data collected at the state level, the Report Card includes only national information. In addition, research did not reveal a standard benchmark, so the Report Card does not grade this indicator.
Data Source: Violence Against Women (%) (National Only), 1995-1996
EXPLANATION:
These data are for women age 18 and older in the non-institutionalized civilian population and include lifetime experiences of rape and/or physical assaults. The survey defines "rape" as an event (either attempted or completed) that occurs without the victim’s consent, that involves the use or threat of force to penetrate the victim’s vagina or anus by penis, tongue, fingers or object, or the victim’s mouth by penis. The survey defines "physical assault" as behaviors that threaten, attempt, or actually inflict harm, ranging from slapping and hitting to using a gun. For physical assaults experienced by children, however, the survey only asks about such conduct if engaged in by adult caretakers (not other people), while for adults, it includes this behavior by any perpetrator.
SOURCE:
Patricia Tjaden, Prevalence, Incidence, and Consequences of Violence Against Women: Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey (Atlanta: National Institute of Justice, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1998), 2, 5-6.