Sociology Department Colloquium: Daniel Schneider

Please join us for a colloquium being given by Daniel Schneider, Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley.

"Intimate Partner Violence in the Great Recession" 

Abstract:

In the United States, the Great Recession was marked by severe negative shocks to labor market conditions. In this study, we combine longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study with Bureau of Labor Statistics data on local area unemployment rates to examine the relationship between adverse labor market conditions and mothers’ experience of abusive behavior between 2001 and 2010.  Unemployment and economic hardship at the household level were positively related to mothers being the victims of men’s violent or controlling behavior.  Area-level economic conditions were not related to men’s physically violent behavior, but men’s controlling behavior did increase with worsening economic conditions. Notably, the deleterious effects of the macroeconomic shock were most pronounced among whites and among mothers with at least some post-secondary education. A rapid worsening of the unemployment rate increased men’s controlling behavior toward wives and cohabiting partners even after controlling for unemployment and economic distress at the household level.  We interpret these findings as demonstrating that the uncertainty and anticipatory anxiety that go along with sudden macroeconomic downturns can have negative effects on relationship quality above and beyond the effects of job loss and material hardship.