Show Me Respect! Age Differences and Women’s Risks of Revictimization From Their Intimate Partners

This study examines how age differences between aggressors and victims influence the risk of women re-experiencing Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) in heterosexual relationships, while controlling for the couple’s absolute ages and criminal histories. The research examines heterosexual couples in Catalonia, Spain, where the male partner was convicted of an IPV-related offense over 5 years, and the female partner received a protection order. Couples are grouped as age-homogamous (similar age) or age-heterogamous (significant age difference), with the latter further divided into female-hypergamous (woman younger) and female-hypogamous (woman older). The study leverages comprehensive registry data and employs event-history analysis to assess the risk of revictimization over a follow-up period of up to 8 years. Women who are older than their male partners face a heightened risk of revictimization, with the risk increasing as the age gap widens. The findings suggest that this trend is not attributable to older women selecting generally more violent younger men. Instead, they align most closely with status inconsistency theory, which suggests that IPV risk increases when women surpass men in key resources, thereby challenging traditional patriarchal norms. These results highlight the importance of interventions that address power dynamics and resource imbalances in age-discrepant relationships to help reduce the risk of revictimization.