This chapter examines the details relating to the sexual violence experienced as an adult with a partner. Sexual violence as an adult is defined as a range of non-consensual experiences from non-consensual sexual touching to non-consensual sexual intercourse. See the Background Notes for further details. Where the text refers to sexual violence with a partner, this relates to experiences both with a partner or with an ex-partner. In this survey, a partner is defined as a person that they are/were married to, living with, a boyfriend/girlfriend or someone they are/were regularly dating.
Please note that people may have experienced multiple sexual violence experiences or with multiple partners. In the case where the person experienced multiple sexual violence experiences with a partner, the person was asked to respond thinking about the experience that affected them most and to report the details for that particular experience. See the Background Notes for further details.
Further information on the overlap between partner and non-partner experiences for those who experienced sexual violence as an adult was published in the Perpetrator chapter in the Sexual Violence Survey 2022 - Main Results publication.
In summary, more women (54%) than men (45%), who experienced sexual violence as an adult with a partner, reported that it happened more than once. Over eight in ten (84%) adults who experienced sexual violence as an adult with a partner reported that the partner was male. Almost half of adults (47%) who experienced sexual violence as an adult with a partner reported that it first began between the ages 18-24.
47%
of adults who experienced sexual violence as an adult with a partner
reported that it first began between the ages 18-24
Source: CSO Ireland, Sexual Violence Survey 2022 – Adult Experiences
Key findings for those who experienced sexual violence as an adult with a partner by the occurrence of the experience:
- Over half of adults (52%) who experienced sexual violence as an adult with a partner reported that it happened more than once. See Table 5.1.
- More women (54%) than men (45%), who experienced sexual violence as an adult with a partner, reported that it happened more than once. See Figure 5.1.
- Overall, 42% of adults who experienced sexual violence as an adult with a partner reported that it happened once with similar rates for men (41%) and women (45%).
- Those aged 25-34 who experienced sexual violence as an adult with a partner reported the highest levels of experiencing it once (50%) compared with the lowest rate for those aged 65 and over (37%). Those aged 55-64 who experienced sexual violence as an adult with a partner reported the highest level of experiencing it more than once (70%) compared with those aged 65 and over (42%).
percent
| X-axis label | Once | More than once | Not stated |
| Male | 45 | 45 | 10 |
|---|
| Female | 41 | 54 | 5 |
|---|
Table 5.1 Occurrence of adult experience of sexual violence with a partner, 2022
Key findings for those who experienced sexual violence as an adult with a partner by the number of perpetrators involved:
- Seven in ten (70%) adults who experienced sexual violence as an adult with a partner reported that it was experienced with one partner only. See Table 5.2.
- Women who experienced sexual violence as an adult with a partner were more likely to report that this was experienced with more than one partner (25%) compared with 18% of men.
- Over three-quarters (77%) of persons aged 45-54, who experienced sexual violence as an adult with a partner, reported that this was experienced with one partner, compared with 51% of those aged 65 and over.
- Those aged 18-24 who experienced sexual violence as an adult with a partner were most likely to have reported this was experienced with more than one partner (29%) compared with those aged 45-54 (18%).
Table 5.2 Adult experience of sexual violence with a partner by number of partners involved, 2022
Key findings for those who experienced sexual violence as an adult with one partner by the sex of the perpetrator:
- Over eight in ten adults (84%) who experienced sexual violence as an adult with a partner reported that the partner was male. See Table 5.3. This information was based on those cases where there was one partner/perpetrator involved in the sexual violence experience – those where multiple perpetrators were present were not asked the sex of all the perpetrators in the survey.
- Almost all women (99%) who experienced sexual violence as an adult with a partner reported that the perpetrator was male. Men who experienced sexual violence as an adult with a partner were more likely to report that the perpetrator was female (86%). Please note that the levels of sexual violence as an adult with a partner were different for the sexes. In the Partner experiences chapter in this publication, women reported a level of sexual violence as an adult with a partner at over four times the rate (25%) than men (6%).
- Those aged 55-64 who experienced sexual violence as an adult with a partner were most likely to report that the partner was male (88%) compared with those aged 25-34 (79%).
Table 5.3 Adult experience of sexual violence with one partner by sex of partner involved, 2022
Key findings for those who experienced sexual violence as an adult with a partner by the age when the experience first occurred:
- Almost half of adults (47%) who experienced sexual violence as an adult with a partner reported that it first began between the ages 18-24, with 8% of adults reporting that this sexual violence began when they were aged 0-17 years. Cases where the sexual violence experienced as an adult first began under the age of 17 (age of consent) were those which continued into adulthood. Please note that when the text refers to adulthood or sexual violence as an adult, it covers experiences which occurred over the age of consent in Ireland (17 years). See Figure 5.2 and Table 5.4.
- Women who experienced sexual violence as an adult with a partner were most likely to have first experienced it between 18-24 years (47%), which is similar to the rate for men (45%).
- All age groups report that they mostly experienced sexual violence as an adult with a partner for the first time when they were aged 18-24 years. For example, over seven in 10 (72%) of those aged 18-24 reported that this was when they first experienced this form of sexual violence.
null
| Age of adult | Age when experience first occurred |
| 0-17 | 8 |
|---|
| 18-24 | 47 |
|---|
| 25-34 | 23 |
|---|
| 35-44 | 7 |
|---|
| 45-54 | 2 |
|---|
| 55-64 | 0 |
|---|
| Not stated | 13 |
|---|
Table 5.4 Adult experience of sexual violence with a partner by age of respondent when experience first occurred, 2022
