The percentage of women 18 and older who experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime.
Source: CDC NISVS Report 2023/2024
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is when one person in a current or previous romantic relationship tries to control their partner using physical, emotional, or financial violence. Abuse can vary in frequency and severity and often includes multiple types.
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious, sometimes life-threatening experience for women. It’s linked to over 30% female homicides nationwide.
More than 1 in 3 women in the US (34%) and nearly half of women in Oklahoma (41.6%) have experienced some form of contact sexual violence, stalking, or physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. In 2023, 8,800 Oklahoma women reported they had experienced unwanted sex or violence by an intimate partner in the last 12 months. More than 30% of women reported ever being physically abused, and another 17.5% reported ever being forced to have sex with an intimate partner.
Despite the seriousness of this issue, many of these incidents are underreported In 2024, only about 60.8% of incidents of IPV were reported to law enforcement – a jump from 47.2% reported in 2023.
Women are 5x more likely than men to be killed by an intimate partner. Even when the situation is not immediately deadly, IPV can have profound and lifelong effects on a woman’s health. Survivors of IPV are at increased risk of mental health disorders (see Depression and Anxiety), including substance use disorder (see Drug Related Deaths and Paths to Recovery), traumatic brain injury, and suicide. Along with immediate injuries, IPV survivors are also at risk for a wide variety of other physical conditions including diabetes, asthma, and cardiovascular disease.
IPV also has impacts on reproductive and sexual health. Abusers may use reproductive or sexual coercion – such as sabotaging contraception methods or pregnancy coercion – to control their partners. In the U.S, 8.4% of women have experienced reproductive coercion from their intimate partner. Risk of IPV increases for women facing unintended pregnancy or seeking abortion.
The social and economic costs of abuse can be staggering. Women that have experienced IPV may lack the ability to safely pursue educational or career opportunities, face debt from medical or criminal justice costs, or have to search to find alternative housing (see Access to Safe and Affordable Housing). One estimate puts the lifetime economic burden for a single female IPV survivor at $103,767.
Women who are: racial or ethnic minorities, disabled, members of the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants, impoverished, or living in rural areas are more likely to experience IPV. Often, social and cultural stigma devaluing victims’ experiences or self internalization can influence women’s likelihood of reporting abuse, and their risk of staying in abusive relationships.
Finally, decades of research shows that intimate partner violence negatively affects children living in the home. Witnessing IPV is considered an Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) (see ACEs Reported), and can drive health issues and continued cycles of abuse in youth.
The data landscape of IPV is tricky for two primary reasons.
These challenges help explain why comprehensive data on intimate partner violence is dated.
The CDC National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS) is a comprehensive, nationally representative survey gathering key information on this issue. The survey monitors lifetime and annual experiences of IPV and sexual violence in the United States. Much of the information in this section can be found in the 2024/2024 NISVS report, which was released in 2026.
Additionally, the CDC’s annual Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey (BRFSS) was used to determine self-reported rates of IPV among Oklahoma women in 2023. Due to the survey’s reliance on self reporting, these numbers may be slightly underestimated. Data from the BRFSS for Oklahoma was found using the OK State Department of Health’s database OK2Share.
The Oklahoma Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board reviews domestic and intimate partner violence related fatalities across the state and publishes annual reports of its findings. While the DVFRB’s work is limited mainly to fatal cases and doesn’t encapsulate the full scope of IPV in the state, it provides important context on the severity of the issue. The 2024 report indicates 63% of Oklahoma domestic homicide victims were killed in the context of IPV, and the number of intimate partner homicides in 2023 (50) was the highest ever recorded by the board.
Quarantine measures and exacerbated stressors that arose as a result of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic worsened rates of intimate partner violence from 2020 to 2022. When stay-at-home orders and other pandemic related restrictions were issued, many women suddenly faced increased close proximity to abusive partners, social and physical isolation, and worsened social and economic stressors. Isolation in particular heightened the frequency and severity of IPV, increasing reports of IPV and the demand for victim services. Challenges and abuse during Covid-19 exacerbated stressors felt within marginalized communities and worsened health disparities.
The increase in IPV rates during the pandemic mirrors patterns that often emerge during natural disasters; these events create conditions that allow IPV to occur by isolating individuals, generating opportunities for new methods of control, and straining community resources like safe housing.
This issue brief was written by Metriarch staff as part of our Data Lookbook. Peer review and contributions provided by: Angela Beatty, Brandon Pasley, and Mikela Rhodes with YWCA Oklahoma City.
Suggested citation
Metriarch. “Social Dynamics,” Data Lookbook (2025). URL: metriarchok.org/intimate-partner-violence.
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