Dating Violence Affects Women’s Education, Career in Later Life

Women who face dating violence in adolescence tend to have poor education and low earnings in later life, a  study by a Michigan State University researcher says.

The research studied 500 single mothers,average age 32 earning less than $7,000 per year. The research found that women who were victims of violence by their partners at a young age did not get a proper education, which in turn impeded heir earning capacity.

According to the study authors, a woman's educational performance is affected by her partner's actions. Partner violence at this age can take the form of destruction of study material and injuries that prevent the victim from attending school.

The research found that for every additional year of schooling the earnings for the survey participants went up by $850, which is a lot for someone making as little as $7,000 per annum.

Adrienne Adams, the study lead study and MSU assistant professor of psychology, worked in a battered women shelter where she observed many domestic violence victims.

"It was woman after woman coming into the shelter trying to find a job and a house she could afford - trying to reestablish life on her own,"  Adams  said in a press release. "Many women would end up going back to their abusive relationship because they couldn't make it on their own financially."

"There's vast evidence showing how important education is for people's quality of life," Adams added "Providing educational and career-development support for women who are abused seems like an obvious choice in terms of societal investment."

She said the study results showed that effective programs and efforts to support victims' education should be made.

Recent statistics released by U.S Centers of Disease Control and Prevention revealed that around 10 percent American teenagers faced dating violence. The violence included physical, sexual and emotional abuse.