Intimate partner or domestic violence is frequently depicted as a purely physical act. Many of us have also heard about the emotional aspect -- the screaming, the name-calling, the threats -- but very few are aware of another aspect of the violence spectrum: financial or economic abuse.

Economic abuse occurs when one member of the relationship deprives the other of financial autonomy. This deprivation may be intentional: one party may forbid the other to work, insist on having only one name on the family bank account, etc., etc. It can also occur on a de facto basis, however. Particularly if one party serves as homemaker and does not have income deposited into her account on a regular basis, that individual is less likely to have the resources to leave an otherwise abusive relationship.