“I Get Angry If He's Always Drinking and We Have No Money”: Exploring Motivations for Male and Female Perpetrated Intimate Partner Violence in the Philippines

Abstract

Our objective was to describe the context of and motivations for female and male perpetrated intimate partner violence (IPV) in Cebu, Philippines, using data from in-depth interviews with 19 married women. We found three categories of IPV motivations—self-defense or retaliation, reactivity, and control. Motivations differed by gender, with women acting out of self-defense more often and men acting out of control more often. Effective IPV prevention and treatment programs should take these gender differences into consideration. Moreover, it is important to look at how IPV occurs within relationships and how this may vary by context and by gender.