U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Selected Findings

September 2009, NCJ 228356

Shannan Catalano, Ph.D., Erica Smith,

Howard Snyder, Ph.D., and Michael Rand

BJS Statisticians

This report provides the current findings on nonfatal and fatal violent crimes committed 

against females. Data are from the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), 1993 to 2008, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) 

Uniform Crime Reporting Program's (UCR) Supplementary Homicide Reports (SHR), 

1993 to 2007 (the most recent data available). The report focuses on nonfatal intimate 

partner violence (IPV), fatal IPV, rape and sexual assault, and stalking. It includes estimates of the extent of crimes against females and the characteristics of crimes and victims. Crime trends are also presented, along with comparative estimates of crimes 

against males.

Nonfatal intimate partner violence

• Intimate partner violence includes victimization committed by spouses or exspouses, boyfriends or girlfriends, and ex-boyfriends or ex-girlfriends.

• In 2008 females age 12 or older experienced about 552,000 nonfatal violent victimizations (rape/sexual assault, robbery, or aggravated or simple assault) by an intimate partner (a current or former spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend) (table 1).

• In the same year, men experienced 101,000 nonfatal violent victimizations by an intimate partner.

• The rate of intimate partner victimizations for females was 4.3 victimizations per 

1,000 females age 12 or older. The equivalent rate of intimate partner violence 

against males was 0.8 victimizations per 1,000 males age 12 or older.

Female Victims of Violence

Table 1. Violence by intimate partners, by type of crime and gender of the victims, 2008

Total Female Male

Number Rate Number Rate Number Rate

Overall violent crime 652,660 2.6 551,590 4.3 101,050 0.8

Rape/sexual assault 44,000 0.2 35,690 0.3^ 8,310 0.1^

Robbery 38,820 0.2^ 38,820 0.3^ -- --

Aggravated assault 111,530 0.4 70,550 0.5 40,970 0.3^

Simple assault 458,310 1.8 406,530 3.1 51,770 0.4

Note: Victimization rates are per 1,000 persons age 12 or older. The difference in male and female 

intimate partner victimization rates is significant at the 95% confidence level for overall violent 

crime, robbery, and simple assault. There is no significant difference in the rate of male and female 

intimate partner victimization for aggravated assault.

^Based on 10 or fewer sample cases.

 --No cases were present for this category.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 2008.

Revised 10/23/09
2 Female Victims of Violence

• Females age 18 or older experienced higher rates of intimate partner violence than 

females age 12 to 17 (4.5 per 1,000 compared to 1.7 per 1,000, respectively).

• Black females historically have experienced intimate partner violence at rates higher 

than white females.

• In 2008, Hispanic and non-Hispanic females experienced intimate partner violence at 

about the same rates (4.1 per 1,000 females age 12 or older versus 4.3 per 1,000, 

respectively).

• In 2008, 72% of the intimate partner violence against males and 49% of the intimate 

partner violence against females was reported to police.

• About 99% of the intimate partner violence against females in 2008 was committed by 

male offenders. About 83% of the intimate partner violence against males was committed by female offenders in 2008.

Trends in nonfatal intimate partner violence

• Intimate partner violence against both males and females declined at a similar rate 

between 1993 and 2008 (figure 1).

• The rate of intimate partner violence against females declined 53% between 1993 and 

2008, from 9.4 victimizations per 1,000 females age 12 or older to 4.3 per 1,000. 

Against males, the rate declined 54%, from 1.8 victimizations per 1,000 males age 12 

or older to 0.8 per 1,000.

Fatal intimate partner violence

• Fatal intimate partner violence includes homicide or murder and non-negligent manslaughter, defined as the willful killing of one human being by another.

• In 2007 intimate partners committed 14% of all homicides in the U.S. The total estimated number of intimate partner homicide victims in 2007 was 2,340, including 1,640 

females and 700 males.*

*Homicide data are voluntarily reported to the FBI by law enforcement agencies active in the Uniform Crime 

Reporting Program. Offender information (and, therefore, information on the victim-offender relationship) is 

missing in about 1 in every 3 murders reported. This information is missing because either no offender was identified or information on the identified offender was not sent to the FBI. For this report, missing victim-offender 

relationships were estimated by assuming that the distribution of relationships in murders for which the relationship was known was the same as in murders for which the relationship information was missing.

Nonfatal violent victimization rate by victim/offender relationship and victim gender, 

1993-2008

Figure 1

1993 1996 1999 2002 2005 2008

0

10

20

30

40

Stranger

Intimate Friend/acquaintance

Other relative

Female victims

Rate per 1,000 females age 12 or older

1993 1996 1999 2002 2005 2008

0

10

20

30

40

Stranger

Friend/

acquaintance

Other relative

Intimate

Male victims

Rate per 1,000 males age 12 or older

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1993-2008.

Revised 10/23/09
Female Victims of Violence 3

• Females made up 70% of victims killed by an intimate partner in 2007, a proportion 

that has changed very little since 1993.

• Females were killed by intimate partners at twice the rate of males. In 2007 the rate of 

intimate partner homicide for females was 1.07 per 100,000 female residents compared to 0.47 per 100,000 male residents.

• Females are generally murdered by people they know. In 64% of female homicide 

cases in 2007, females were killed by a family member or intimate partner. In 2007, 

24% of female homicide victims were killed by a spouse or ex-spouse; 21% were killed 

by a boyfriend or girlfriend; and 19% by another family member. 

• In an additional 25% of cases in 2007, females were killed by others they knew. An 

estimated 10% of female murder victims were killed by a stranger. 

• In 2007 black female victims of intimate partner homicide were twice as likely as white 

female homicide victims to be killed by a spouse (0.96 and 0.50 per 100,000, respectively). 

• Black females were four times more likely than white females to be murdered by a boyfriend or girlfriend (1.44 and 0.34 per 100,000, respectively).

• Men were more likely than women to be killed by strangers. Among male homicide victims in 2007, 16% were murdered by a family member or intimate partner. Of male 

homicide victims, 2% were killed by a spouse or ex-spouse and 3% were killed by a 

girlfriend or boyfriend. Over half (54%) were killed by others they knew, and 29% were 

killed by strangers. 

Trends in fatal intimate partner violence

• Between 1993 and 2007 the total number of homicide victims in the U.S. fell 31%, with 

a somewhat greater decline for females (-34%) than males (-30%). Homicide victims 

killed by intimate partners fell 29%, with a greater decline for males (-36%) than 

females (-26%) (figure 2).

Homicides of intimate partners by gender of victim, 1993-2007

Figure 2

1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

Female

Male

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics' analysis of the Federal Bureau of

Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting Program's Supplementary Homicide

Reports, 1993-2007.

Number of victims

Note: Homicide data are voluntarily reported to the FBI by law enforcement

agencies active in the Uniform Crime Reporting Program. Offender information (and,

therefore, information on the victim-offender relationship) is missing in about 1 in

every 3 murders reported. This information is missing because either no offender

was identified or information on the identified offender was not sent to the FBI. For

this report, missing victim-offender relationships were estimated by assuming that

the distribution of relationships in murders for which the relationship was known

was the same as in murders for which the relationship information was missing.

Revised 10/23/09
4 Female Victims of Violence

• Homicide victims killed by an intimate partner declined from an estimated 3,300 in 

1993 to an estimated 2,340 in 2007. 

• Between 1993 and 2007, female victims killed by an intimate partner declined from 

2,200 to 1,640 victims, and male intimate partner homicide victims declined from 1,100 

to 700 victims. 

• The overall rate of female homicides fell 43% from 4.18 to 2.38 homicides per 100,000 

female U.S. residents between 1993 and 2007. 

• The rate of intimate partner homicides of females decreased 35% (from 1.66 to 1.07 

per 100,000 female U.S. residents), while the rate of non-intimate female homicide fell 

48% (from 2.52 to 1.31).

• Between 1993 and 2007 the overall rate of male homicides fell 40% from 14.94 to 8.94 

homicides per 100,000 male U.S. residents. 

• The rate of intimate partner homicides of males decreased 46% (from 0.87 to 0.47), 

while the rate of non-intimate male homicides fell 40% (from 14.07 to 8.47).

• An estimated 40% of female homicide victims were killed by an intimate partner in 

1993; the percentage increased to 45% in 2007. An estimated 6% of male homicide 

victims were killed by an intimate partner in 1993; this figure was 5% in 2007.

• From 1993 through 2007, the rate of homicide by a spouse fell 41% for females and 

54% for males. Over the same period, the rate of homicide by a boyfriend or girlfriend 

fell 27% for females and 36% for males.

• Between 1993 and 2007, 18% of female victims of intimate partner homicide were 

under age 25, compared to 10% of male victims. During the same period 11% of 

female victims of intimate partner homicide were over age 54, compared to 14% of 

male victims. 

• The number of black female homicide victims killed by intimate partners fell 39% 

between 1993 and 2007. The number of white female homicide victims killed by intimate partners fell 21%.

• From 1993 through 2007, the rate of homicide by a spouse declined 58% for black 

females (from 2.28 homicides per 100,000 black female residents to 0.96 per 100,000).

• The rate of homicide for white females killed by a spouse fell 36% (from 0.78 homicides per 100,000 female residents to 0.50 per 100,000). 

• Over the same period, the rate of homicide by a boyfriend or girlfriend fell 42% (from 

2.50 to 1.44) for black females and 15% (from 0.40 to 0.34) for white females.

Children who witness violence

• The NCVS was not designed to capture information on the number of children who witness intimate partner violence; however, the survey is able to examine the characteristics of households with a victim of IPV, including whether children under age 12 were 

living in the home. 

• Using NCVS data from 2001 to 2005, among households with a female IPV victim, 

38% had children under age 12 living in the home. Of the households with a male IPV 

victim, 21% had children under age 12 living in the home.

• Court statistics can identify whether a child witnessed a violent incident between intimate partners. Of 3,750 intimate partner violence cases filed in state courts in 16 large 

urban counties in 2002, children were present during the violent incident in 36% of the 

cases. Of those children who were present, 60% directly witnessed the violence. 
Female Victims of Violence 5

• Additional findings on domestic violence court cases are available in Profile of Intimate 

Partner Violence Cases in Large Urban Counties, a forthcoming BJS report expected 

to be released in mid-October 2009 (table 2).

Characteristics of rape/sexual assault

• Rape includes forced sexual intercourse, both psychological coercion and physical 

force, and attempted rapes. Sexual assault includes a wide range of victimizations distinct from rape or attempted rape.

• Based on the NCVS which interviews victims, females age 12 or older experienced an 

estimated 182,000 rapes or sexual assaults in 2008, and males experienced 40,000 

rapes or sexual assaults. 

• The rates of rape or sexual assaults against females and males in 2008 were 1.4 and 

0.3 per 1,000 persons age 12 or older, respectively.

• Black females experienced higher rates of rape or sexual assault in 2008 than white 

females or females of other races (2.9 compared to 1.2 and 0.9 per 1,000 females age 

12 or older, respectively.)

• In 2008, Hispanic and non-Hispanic females experienced rape or sexual assault at 

about the same rates (1.1 compared to 1.5 per 1,000 females age 12 or older, respectively.)

• In 2008, 57% of the rape or sexual assaults against females were committed by an 

offender whom they knew. Strangers committed about one third (31%) of all rape/sexual assaults.

• One in five rape or sexual assaults against females (20%) was committed by an intimate partner. 

• Almost half (47%) of the rape or sexual assaults against females in 2008 were reported 

to police.

• Four out of five (80%) of the rapes against females were committed by males.

Table 2. Demographic characteristics of intimate partner violence victims and defendants 

in 16 large counties, May 2002

Demographic characteristic

Percent of intimate partner violence—

Victims Defendants

Total 100.0% 100.0%

Gender

Male 14.0% 86.3%

Female 86.0 13.7

Race/Hispanic origin

White non-Hispanic 37.1% 33.6%

Black non-Hispanic 26.4 33.5

Hispanic 33.6 30.8

Other 2.8 2.0

Age at offense

17 or younger 2.7% 0.2%

18-24 26.1 24.2

25-34 34.9 34.8

35-54 34.0 38.2

55 or older 2.3 2.6

Note: Among the 3,750 cases of intimate partner violence, data on defendant gender were 

reported for 99.4%; race/Hispanic origin for 85.6%; age for 99.2%. Data on victim gender 

were reported for 100% of cases; race/Hispanic origin for 94.5%; age for 94.4%.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Profile of Intimate Partner Violence Cases in Large 

Urban Counties, NCJ 228193 (forthcoming October 2009). 

Revised 10/6/09
6 Female Victims of Violence

Trends in rape/sexual assault

• Based on the NCVS, between 1993 and 2008 the rate of rape or sexual assault 

against females declined by 70% (from 4.7 to 1.4 per 1,000 females age 12 or older).

• The rate of rape or sexual assault against males declined by 36% between 1993 and 

2008 (from 0.5 to 0.3 per 1,000 males age 12 or older).

Characteristics of stalking

• Data on stalking are from the NCVS Supplementary Victimization Survey (SVS), 

administered during January through June 2006. The SVS defined stalking as a course 

of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel 

fear.

• During a 12-month period in 2005 and 2006, an estimated 3.4 million persons age 18 

or older were victims of stalking. 

• During the 12-month period an estimated 14 in every 1,000 persons age 18 or older 

were victims of stalking. 

• Females were at higher risk of stalking victimization than males. During the study 

period, females experienced 20 stalking victimizations per 1,000 females age 18 or 

older. The rate of stalking victimization for males was approximately 7 per 1,000 males 

age 18 or older. 

• As with victimization risk more generally, the risk of being stalked diminished with age. 

Persons age 18 to 19 and 20 to 24 experienced the highest rates of stalking victimization.

• Asians and Pacific Islanders (7 per 1,000 persons age 18 and older) were less likely to 

experience stalking than whites (14 per 1,000), blacks (12 per 1,000), and persons of 

two or more races (32 per 1,000).

• Non-Hispanics were more likely than Hispanics to experience stalking (14 versus 11 

per 1,000 persons age 12 or older, respectively.)

• About 1 in 10 of all victims were stalked by a stranger, and nearly 3 in 4 of all victims 

knew their offender in some capacity. Stalking victims most often identified the stalker 

as a former intimate (21.5%) or a friend, roommate, or neighbor (16.4%).

• Stalking victimization was equally likely to be reported to police whether the victim was 

male or female. Thirty-seven percent of male and 41% of female victimizations were 

reported to the police by the victim or another person aware of the crime. 

• Males were as likely to report being stalked by a male as a female offender. Forty-three 

percent of male stalking victims stated that the offender was female, while 41% of male 

victims stated that the offender was another male. 

• Female victims of stalking were significantly more likely to be stalked by a male (67%) 

than by a female (24%) offender.
Female Victims of Violence 7

Definitions of violent crimes

Homicide—murder and non-negligent manslaughter is defined as the willful killing of one 

human being by another.

Rape—forced sexual intercourse, including both psychological coercion and physical 

force. Forced sexual intercourse means vaginal, anal, or oral penetration by the 

offender(s). This category includes incidents where the penetration is from a foreign 

object, such as a bottle. This definition includes attempted rapes, male and female victims, and heterosexual and same sex rape.

Sexual assault—includes a wide range of victimizations distinct from rape or attempted 

rape. These crimes include completed or attempted attacks generally involving unwanted 

sexual contact between the victim and offender. Sexual assaults may or may not involve 

force and include such things as grabbing or fondling. Sexual assault also includes verbal 

threats.

Robbery—completed or attempted theft of property or cash by force or threat of force, 

directly from a person, with or without a weapon, and with or without injury.

Assault—the unlawful physical attack or threat of attack. Assaults may be classified as 

aggravated or simple. Rape, attempted rape, and sexual assaults are excluded from this 

category, as well as robbery and attempted robbery. The severity of assaults ranges from 

minor threat to incidents which are nearly fatal.

Aggravated assault—the attack or attempted attack with a weapon, regardless of whether 

or not an injury occurred and attack without a weapon when serious injury results.

Simple assault—an attack without a weapon resulting either in no injury, less serious 

injury (for example, bruises, black eyes, or cuts) or in undetermined injury requiring less 

than 2 days of hospitalization. Also includes attempted assault without a weapon.

References

Bureau of Justice Statistics. National Crime Victimization Survey [special analysis].

Federal Bureau of Investigation. Uniform Crime Reporting Program. Supplementary 

Homicide Reports [special analysis]. 

Bureau of Justice Statistics. (2006). Violent Crime Rates Declined for Both Males and 

Females Since 1994. Retrieved from http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance/vsx2.htm.

Baum, K., Catalano S., Rand, M., and Rose, K. Bureau of Justice Statistics (2009). Stalking Victimization in the United States (NCJ 224527).

Catalano, S. Bureau of Justice Statistics. (2006). Intimate Partner Violence in the United 

States. Retrieved from http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/intimate/ipv.htm.

Smith, E.L. and Farole, Jr., D.J. Bureau of Justice Statistics. (2009). Profile of Intimate 

Partner Violence Cases in Large Urban Counties (NCJ 228193). Forthcoming, mid-October 2009.
U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Washington, DC 20531

Official Business

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*NCJ~228356*

8 Female Victims of Violence

The Bureau of Justice Statistics is the statistical agency 

of the U.S. Department of Justice. Michael D. Sinclair is 

Acting Director.

This Selected Findings was written by Shannan 

Catalano, Erica Smith, Howard Snyder, and Michael 

Rand. Jennifer E. Kaplan and Catherine M. Poston of 

the Office of Violence Against Women provided review 

and comments. Doris J. James and Jill Duncan edited 

the report, and Tina Dorsey produced the report. Jayne 

Robinson prepared the report for final printing. 

September 2009, NCJ 228356

This report in portable document format and in 

ASCII and its related statistical data and tables 

are available at the BJS World Wide Web 

Internet site: <http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/

abstract/fvv.fm>.

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