I have been analysing data regarding a variety of relevant topics when preparing for this project. I have tried to sleep with percentages and fractions flying around in my head. As soon as I began looking at all of the different statistics, I quickly realised two things about how they work:
1. The wording and layout of statistics is crucial to your understanding of them.
Whoever wrote that specific result has chosen whether to use percentages, fractions, pictograms, graphs etc. There are endless studies regarding how the brain responds to these formats and surveyors use this knowledge to create an impact or reaction. Statistics are released to educate but sometimes shock. As people, we often don’t believe something until we have the hard evidence, which most of the time means facts and figures, so organisations use them to create impact so we remember them or spread the word to those we know, without really digesting what they are really saying.
In circumstances like these, it is paramount to our understanding that statistics don't represent every victim - people don't come forward or seek support. Also, a statistic tells you nothing about a person's experience - every victim suffers a unique and often life-changing ordeal - a number will never quite show you that.
A further point that I’ve formed about the way statistics are presented to us is the lack of detail they provide. When percentages are used, we are neglecting the actual amount surveyed. Everyone notices it on skincare adverts for example; 94% of women may agree with whatever is being stated, but 94% isn’t representative of the number of women surveyed. This is why they must put in that infamous small text at the bottom of the screen how many people were surveyed. Sometimes, this evidence doesn’t seem as reliable as before. For example, if 200 women were surveyed and 94% agreed, that means that 12 women did not.
Whilst it appears strange to compare skincare regimes to domestic abuse, this makes the point that statistics can be flawed or misleading. When looking at the cases of domestic abuse, I believe it’s important to consider each single person as a horrific case – because it is. Therefore, if 12 women are harmed in a survey of 200 women from domestic abuse (and believe me, it is much more than this), that is not only 12 lives that can be potentially ruined by the circumstances, but there are family members, children, friends and more which can all play a pivotal role in the recovery/seeking safety stages. Statistics only say so much; victims are the main factor but there are others which should be considered. Even if you read that a seemingly tiny percentage of people are abused, break that percentage down into number of cases and consider how many people are potentially affected by it. Suddenly it becomes so much more than individual cases, but a domino effect that can span for miles and leave long-lasting effects for many involved.
The issue of reading statistics and putting all of your trust in them is a never-ending cycle and no format works the same way for a different issue - so always bare that in mind. Often when you're told the statistic "2 out of 3" you're subconsciously neglecting the "1 out of 3". And that adds up.
2. There will be a statistic to support anything.
In the grand scheme of things, this may be somewhat inaccurate. However, if you watch any debate or argument, both opposing sides will have a variety of statistics to rely on and argue their case. Therefore, when a higher power such as the government or domestic abuse charities provide us with information, does that not mean that we are only being given one side of the statistic? Are charities such as Refuge or Women’s Aid dominating our search results and timelines with truthful and shocking statistics about female victims but neglecting male victims in the process?
We rely on mathematics and hard cold facts to believe what we are being told. This is understandable. However, no life nor mind is the same as another. So why is it that we rely so heavily on numbers and surveys when being told about the severity of domestic abuse, among other issues? Doesn’t stripping away the individuality of each case prevent us from fully comprehending each incident? By removing the emotion or stories of the victims and relying on a statistic provided by an organisation, is that enough to justify this approach of offering more help to one gender than another?
It is also worthy of note that over the hundreds of statistics I have read, the Office for National Statistics (O.N.S.) in England and Wales provides a detailed oversight into reported incidents of domestic abuse, including the genders, circumstances and types of abuse involved. It is also the most referred to in the many websites/articles I have read. However, there are numerous different companies that survey a multitude of combinations of people and there is not one unanimously used statistic in this instance, therefore, statistics can only represent one part of these sorts of arguments. The rest rely on the individual cases, which frankly are as simple as domestic abuse victims deserve equal support, no matter the gender.
One of the most shocking things that I discovered from the O.N.S. was that there are combinations and forms of abuse that happened more to men than they did women. This shocked me because of the female-targeted data I had been fed. There is a bias. Every female domestic abuse charity chooses, from the millions of statistics out there, which ones are the most shocking or can be the most relatable to women; which is understandable. However, in doing this, there is an idea created that it happens to women more in all cases and that is a lie. Another factor to consider is that many of these statistics don’t declare the gender of the abuser (there could be homosexual circumstances, where a male abuses a male and that gets reported), however this is not in any way an opposing argument, as this report is not about the abusers, but the victims and it should not matter who the abuser is when there are victims that deal with such horrendous repercussions. All that matters is that the abuser, no matter the gender, is rightly and equally prosecuted, and the proper safety and support is available to the victim. This stands for during the abusive relationship too – there should be support to any gender and sexuality and there should not be a bias more towards one than the other. However, through my research, I have found that there is – and this needs to change.
Throughout my research in this project, I have wanted to use a wide range of source materials. One of my primary tools has been the internet, as this is accessible to anyone, therefore those who may not believe things written, or have interest in seeking further, can do so easily. Furthermore, the internet is God in modern society. The controversies around ‘fake news’ and such have proved how much we as consumers are relying on the internet to tell us whatever we need to know. When we want to arrange something, explore something, learn something, we turn to the internet. The internet is often a student’s first port of call for research, I know this first hand and a study by Pew Research Centre, a self-titled American ‘think tank’ – whatever that means – revealed that in 2004, 87% of the surveyed students used the internet at home. It doesn’t take much work to understand that these numbers would only increase as the capability and availability of the internet has drastically escalated with the constant introduction of online technological advancements such as Apple’s iPhone (introduced in 2007) or the inclusion of social media sites like Facebook (2004) or Instagram (2010).
The internet plays a huge role in finding answers and asking questions nowadays, so you can understand why much of my material is found online. Of course, to ensure objectivity and the truth, I am constantly fact-checking, discussing with others and finding new sources. However, it feels right to emphasise the importance of a simple Google search as this is where this investigation began for me. It is also where many female victims may find the strength to face the next step in their escape from domestic abuse – but it could also be the very thing that prevents male victims from doing the same.