Content warning: This article contains material that is sometimes confronting and disturbing. Sometimes words or images can cause sadness or distress, or trigger traumatic memories for people, particularly survivors of abuse, violence or trauma.For some people, these responses can be overwhelming. If you need to talk to someone, support is available. Call 1800 Respect on 1800 737 73

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Once, I was waiting in the checkout line at Myer behind an older couple, when, mid purchase, the husband began harshly berating his wife for wasteful purchasing.

It was rattling, but it was the comment of the sales assistant a few minutes later that really threw me: giving a little wink, she whispered “don’t worry, we see that sort of thing all the time”.

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, marked annually on 25 November, urges investment in preventing violence against women and girls, which attracts less than 0.2% of government aid globally.

We’ve made so much progress in the past decade to better understand gender-based violence. But the words of that shop assistant ring in my ears today, reminding me that financial control and abuse in relationships is still an area that we aren’t talking enough about and that as a society we don’t fully understand. It’s a form of coercive control that is illegal across most of Australia and also often a precursor to other forms of violence.

Christina Hobbs, Founder, Verve Super

Seeing someone being publicly shamed about their spending shouldn’t be ‘normal’, it should be something that worries us all

Yet often it’s the most frequent forms of cultural violence that are normalised, and therefore don’t attract our attention as they should. ABS data revealed that more than 2.3 million Australians – 16% of women and 7% of men – have experienced financial abuse during their lifetime.

A 2022 report by Deloitte found that at least one in thirty women have experienced financial abuse that year, reportedly costing victims $5.7 billion.

Part of ending the scourge of cohesive control including financial abuse, and the violent patriarchy that causes it, is actually being able to identify the full spectrum of what abuse looks like – so that we can call it out, and label it for what it is.

Coercive control including financial abuse is a silent type of abuse and is said to occur in 99% of domestic violence cases

Emotional abuse usually accompanies financial abuse in a context where the impact of financial abuse is often so devastating that victims are left feeling inadequate and unsure about themselves. Signs of financial abuse include tactics used making the victim feel isolated and financially dependent, which leaves them feeling trapped in the relationship.

We’ve written a full blog on financial abuse behaviours, but some of the high-level signs include when someone:

• controls your access to money or requests that ask permission to spend your own money. This can include failing to provide adequate cash to cover living costs or the costs of caring for children or others.
• uses your money without your knowledge or consent.
• signs legal documents on your behalf or forces you to sign docs you don’t understand – including taking on loans or debt.
• hurts, threatens or punishes you, including making you feel stupid or that you can’t be trusted with money.

With the issue of violence against women and children in this country at unacceptable levels, it’s time to act if Australia is to improve its current rank of 43 out of 156 countries in the World Economic Forum gender gap analysis.

Related content:

• How money impacts the domestic violence crisis
• working to protect super from abuse. 
• Money talk: How to have healthy conversations about finances.
• How to identify financial abuse.

All information is general and does not take account of your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Before deciding whether a particular product is appropriate for you, please read the relevant Product Disclosure Statement, Target Market Determination and Financial Services Guide available at vervesuper.com.au, and consider speaking with a financial adviser. Published by Verve Superannuation Pty Ltd ABN 65 628 675 169 AFS Representative No. 001268903, a Corporate Authorised Representative of True Oak Investments Ltd ABN 81 002 558 956 AFSL 238184, as the Promoter of Verve Super, a division of the Future Super Fund ABN 45 960 194 277 RSE Registration No R1072914 (the Fund). The trustee of the Fund is Equity Trustees Superannuation Limited ABN 50 055 641 757 AFSL 229757 RSE Licence L0001458. Oct 2024.