Culture influences men’s experiences with IPV

Historically stereotypical ideas of intimate partner violence (IPV) have overlooked or minimized the experiences of male victims. Simultaneously, perspectives of men’s experiences with IPV are influenced by country-specific cultural contexts. A novel study by Denise Hines, professor in the Department of Social Work, published in Partner Abuse, compared the rates at which male victims experience IPV from a partner to acts of IPV they committed themselves in four English-speaking regions: U.S., Canada, UK/Ireland, Australia, and Aotearoa New Zealand. 

Hines’s findings offer key insights into differences and similarities among those countries in their experiences of male IPV victimization:

• Self-identified male victims reported prevalence rates of victimization from 50.0% to 96.1% for sexual and physical IPV, respectively. Sexual IPV perpetration rates were estimated to be 21.1%, while physical IPV perpetration was reported at 54.0%. 

• Male IPV victims from the U.S. reported perpetrating and experiencing significantly more IPV than men from other countries, emphasizing the importance of national context in understanding IPV. 

• Gendered stereotypes that men cannot be victims that are embedded in legislation, support resources, and justice systems prevent male victims from seeking help, and individual countries must implement context-specific solutions tailored to the unique needs of their male IPV victim population. 

Prevalence of Men’s Intimate Partner Violence Victimization and Perpetration Among Two Samples of Male Victims: An International Study of English-Speaking Countries was published in April 2025 in Partner Abuse. Hines recently co-authored a book based on surveys of men’s experiences with abuse across five continents. Read more. 

About the researcher 

Denise Hines, PhD, is the Elisabeth Shirley Enochs Endowed Professor of Social Work in the College of Public Health at George Mason University. Hines’ expertise includes the causes, consequences, and prevention of family violence and sexual assault, with a particular focus on under-recognized victims of intimate partner violence.  She specializes in translating university-based research for policymakers.  

Hines’s work on under-recognized victims of intimate partner violence and violence prevention work has been supported by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the U.S. Department of Education. She is also working with Fairfax County Domestic and Sexual Violence Services on two internally-funded projects, focusing on understanding and overcoming barriers to service access for underserved communities in Fairfax County, Virginia.