Financial and economic abuse - a gendered web of complexity

Irene Ryan
posted by | 90sc
May 11, 2026

The New Zealand (NZ) Salvation Army, State of the Nation Report 2026 makes sombre reading. One statistic, unfortunately, a recurring theme, is that gender-based violence (GBV), in particular intimate partner violence (IPV) against women by men was at its highest since at least 2018. Estimates suggest nearly one in three NZ women experience forms of intimate partner violence (IPV), family violence (FV), and/or sexual violence (SV) over their lifetimes and, at the extreme, femicide (death resulting from GBV). In a shadow report to the UN (August 2024) submitted by the Coalition for the Safety of Women and Children for CEDAW examination, our high rate of GBV, is identified as a violation of women’s human rights. As such, GBV is not simply a problem of a few individual errant men, states and institutions are also liable. It is evident that much of the global point-in-time survey data on GBV, IPV and SV tends to focus on and target strategies towards the 15–49 age range. This is also the case in NZ. But what are the possible effects and manifestations of IPV on the lives of older women 50+ years of age? Using our EIAH lens, we argue that financial and economic abuse and its cumulative effect is one such manifestation of gendered abuse. This often-invisible form of abuse has significant consequences for older women 50+ in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Data collection on gender-based abuse is plagued by significant underreporting, compounded by existing datasets overlooking the experiences of specific groups of women (i.e. older, disabled, migrant women and those in rainbow communities). Confusion over terms (i.e., family, intimate partner, relationship, domestic, violence, abuse, family harm) and influential myth-making imagery (IPV is caused by ‘something else’), shape public perception and reinforce GBV as an interpersonal offence for which only individual perpetrators (statistically men) are liable. Further, Claudia Mahler, Independent Expert for the UN Human Rights Council, noted in her report (17 July 2021) how the umbrella term ‘elder abuse’ distracted attention away from IPV in later years (women 65+) which is often a continuation of abuse lasting many years or even decades. No matter what term is used or the goals of the second phase of the whole of government Te Aorerekura strategy (2025-2030), action on all forms of GBV tends to be ad hoc, reactive, and incident-based responses by siloed, state agencies and under-resourced, over-whelmed, community organisations. IPV is however, a symptom of deeper systemic, gendered, social, political and economic inequalities. This broader contextual, multi-layered system, is best identified as a form of social entrapment.

Financial and economic abuse as a form of IPV, is not well understood, and is often seen as an unfortunate/inevitable outcome of other abuse. The Domestic Violence Act (2018, s11(e)) lists economic and financial abuse as a subcategory under psychological violence. Arguably, given its distinctiveness and dire, long-term consequences it should be understood as a standalone form of violence. NZ researcher Alisha Scott (2023) defines financial abuse as “a behaviour that restricts, controls, exploits or removes another person’s access to money, economic resources, or participation in financial decisions” whereas economic abuse “takes a wider view including housing, employment and education”. Both are intertwined with wealth and wealth inequality, intensified by for example, inequities in the labour market, traditional gender roles, the gender pay gap, sexism, divorce (i.e., particularly when later in life), and perhaps, a reticence to openly talk about money.

Importantly, neither financial and/or economic abuse is as observable as physical abuse, nor does it require the perpetrator to be physically present. Harmful behaviours can hide behind our complex financial institutions (e.g., banks, specialist lenders), a situation not helped by a shrinking number of physical banks, online banking platforms, policies and practices of lending institutions including government agencies, our slow and costly legal system (e.g., Family and Criminal Court processes, limited legal aid), and for some, navigating unfamiliar, intrusive, siloed government social service agencies.

The following abridged extract taken from an interview with Patrica (pseudonym), illustrates some of the manifestations and cumulative effect of financial and economic abuse women 50+ years of age can face.

Patricia jokingly recalls the shock and unexpectedness of her partner’s leaving for a younger woman; it was the turning point that saw her status change to ‘single solo mum’, after a messy divorce and altered the trajectory of her later years. The future she had taken for granted was gone. She spoke of feelings of betrayal, grief, humiliation, stupidity and naivety. She had just been too busy dealing with paid work and the endless demands of parenting. The realization that for years she had been making excuses for him, his ego-driven schemes and excessive spending on non-essential items. The signs were there, such as an endless stream of overdue notices on basic household bills but she chose to believe his assurances “all was fine”. What else could she do? It was the loss of their jointly owned home that she had initially financed that hit the hardest. Unbeknown to her, it had been heavily mortgaged, an accumulation of loans over time that she had not really thought about or been consulted on. Bank accounts were virtually empty – so the house had to be sold to repay creditors and bank debt. It all took time to untangle, but in the end, there was little left, she simply had to move on and learn to deal with whatever unfolded.
Forced into the private rental market, navigating what she termed humiliating government agencies to access any financial support, she worked two, at times three part-time jobs to support herself and her children. Juggling finances meant years of tight budgeting, as her children transitioned into adulthood and finally, left home. Now alone, she shifted geographic locations, but as a single, older woman facing unaffordable private market rents, she gratefully accepted offers to live with members of her family. Similarly, employment, she was just happy to get jobs ‘at her age’, with few formal qualifications, in female dominated, low
wage, private sector industries. She was now over 65 years of age. She saw herself as a hard, loyal worker, but with every restructuring she feared losing her job. She had minimal savings in KiwiSaver so was increasingly aware of her precarity. She had to keep working. Trying to be optimistic, she struggled to look beyond the present. It was too hard to even imagine what her future might look like.

Patricia’s abridged story raises multiple questions. For one, it asks us to reflect on the economic interdependence of marital/de-facto relationships and how systems (e.g., legislation; Family Court processes) and the underlying assumptions (e.g., the expectation of a female partner’s unpaid labour; that fairness, respect and trust are the basis of relationships) reinforce this interdependence. Were there elements of coercion and controlling behaviours that led to Patricia to devolve all financial matters to her partner? Financial and economic abuse is not a criminal offence. As with other forms of GBV, including elder abuse (see NCWNZ submission on Violence Against Older Women), it is not seen as a human rights issue that government agencies and wider society has a duty to address. It is left to individuals in the domestic private space to firstly recognise as a form of abuse and then try to resolve. The principles of the Family Violence Act (2018) Act state:

  1. family violence, in all its forms is unacceptable;
  2. decision makers should, whenever appropriate, recognise that family violence is often behaviour that appears to be minor or trivial when viewed in isolation, but forms part of a pattern of behaviour that causes cumulative harm:
  3. decision makers should, whenever appropriate, recognise that family violence often is or includes coercive or controlling behaviour.

Such principles were not useful as Patricia negotiated the ongoing cumulative harm of her partner’s financial and economic abuse. Banks are unique and powerful institutions both at the societal level and within households. Victim – survivors and their abusers are likely to both be customers. Like all involved at the customer interface (including lawyers and Judges), bank staff are not immune to bias and manipulation. This places the onus on banks and other financial lenders to be vigilant to help mitigate the possibility of further harm. Today, advocacy organisations such as Good Shepherd NZ are working closely with the New Zealand Banking Association and the Financial Services Association to develop codes of practice and raise awareness among their staff to be alert for possible signs of financial and economic abuse. Now and into the future, we can only hope that a pattern of loans initiated by one partner accruing on jointly owned property, persistent overdrafts and drained joint accounts would trigger a timely response by banking staff.

Underlying Patricia’ s story are the themes of disbelief and a breach of trust by an intimate partner and her account of the consequences of this abuse as she has aged. Traversing time, her story shows how financial and economic abuse is a mechanism of social entrapment, a model that gives an often-invisible insight into the gendered, social, political and economic inequalities women aged 50+ face as they age. Their capacity to make provision for later life, the length of which is unknown, can be greatly reduced in comparison to that of perhaps, their abusive male partner. New Zealand Superannuation does ensure all female recipients at age 65 have a secure, known and individual source of income regardless of wealth and relationship status. However, as argued in the NCWNZ submission to the Retirement Commission, a rising number of older single women, living alone in private rentals are increasingly prone to income poverty and hardship. How the cumulative impact of financial and economic abuse shapes the futures of women 50+ years of age remains critically under- appreciated and under researched. It is a human rights issue that must no longer be silenced.

Resources:

By
Irene Ryan, Economic Independence Action Hub
   with Rosemary du Plessis

EconomicActionHub issue657 Circular_June2026
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