About one in three (36%) girls and young women aged 16 to 24 experienced economic abuse from a current or former partner at some point during the 12 months to March, research for a charity indicates.
Half (50%) of those who had experienced it reported a negative impact on their mental health, such as depression or panic attacks, Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) said.
Economic abuse involves the control of a partner or ex-partner’s finances, and may include taking control of someone’s income, restricting what purchases they can make or running up debts in their name without their consent or knowledge.
It may also include controlling access to facilities that someone needs in order to do a job, such as transport and technology.
Among the 36% of young women who experienced economic abuse, more than a quarter (27%) said the abuser had prevented them from working, studying or training.
One woman told the charity: “Young people are encouraged to move in together, share finances and plan their futures, but very little is discussed about what happens when it all goes wrong.
“I think parents, schools and young people need to talk about economic abuse much more openly because it can start at such a young age.”
The research, carried out by Ipsos UK on behalf of the charity, found that nearly a third (31%) of teenage girls aged 16 to 18 said they had experienced economic abuse from a current or former partner in the previous 12 months.
In many of these cases, the economic abuse started within weeks, with 17% of 16 to 18-year-olds saying that it started within the first month of the relationship, which was more than double the rate of women aged 22 to 24, at 8%.
Sam Smethers, chief executive of Surviving Economic Abuse, said: “Parents, teachers and education professionals need to recognise the warning signs early.
“Challenging harmful behaviours before they escalate could make a life-changing difference.”
The charity is encouraging families to take part in the “spotting the signs challenge”, an interactive tool on its website to help people recognise the signs of economic abuse and signpost people to support.
Durham University Centre for Research into Violence and Abuse, working in partnership with Surviving Economic Abuse and Tender, has also produced the “shifting the dial toolkit”, which provides resources to educate young people about economic abuse and build respectful relationships.
Ipsos UK surveyed more than 1,900 women aged 16 to 24 across the UK in March.
