Increases in the price of alcohol will decrease the probability of wife abuse, but the exact amount of this effect is difficult to measure. By one measure, a 10 percent increase in the price of an ounce of pure alcohol shrinks the probability of wife abuse by anywhere from 10 percent to 90 percent. In contrast, Markowitz finds only mixed evidence that a higher price of alcohol will cut down the violent abuse of men by their female partners. Holding the price of alcohol constant, in couples where there is a family history of violence and stress present, the husband is more likely to be abused. The same is true for black and Hispanic men and for those with higher incomes.
Older women are less prone to abuse their male partners than younger women.
Women working part-time are more likely to be violent, and those with more children at home are less violent than other women. Similar characteristics influence violence among males towards their female partners. Stress, family history of violence, and being black are all associated with an increased probability of wife abuse. Markowitz finds no relationship between the availability of alcohol and the probability of violence towards women. But if there are more dry counties in a state, women may be less prone to abuse their husbands.