Enduring barriers to support for female victim survivors of FDV

Confronting insights from Bankwest’s 2025 Hidden Costs report have highlighted that women experiencing domestic and financial abuse remain more attuned to the risks but significantly less likely than men to seek help.

• The Hidden Costs report into family and domestic violence (FDV) tracks community awareness over five years.
• Women are more likely than men to identify key warning signs of FDV and financial abuse.
• Women in WA face more perceived barriers to reporting instances of FDV.

The Bankwest report surveyed more than 1,000 WA residents and found that women showed a stronger recognition of abusive behaviours, including emotional abuse, physical abuse, and coercive control.

Notably, women were also more attuned to signs of financial abuse including coercion into signing documents (85% vs 75%), inadequate allowances (77% vs 70%), and restricted access to bank accounts (81% vs 76%).

Yet despite this heightened awareness, the Bankwest report found that women are less likely to seek support. Among those who had experienced financial abuse, 58% of women had sought help compared with 72% of men.

The data suggests that women are more likely to perceive barriers to reporting, including beliefs that the issue isn’t serious enough (61% vs 49%), or that seeking help wouldn’t make a difference (59% vs 50%).

Attributed to: Jodene Murphy – Bankwest General Manager Customer, Marketing and Communications.

“It is concerning that the Bankwest report finds fewer than six in ten women affected by financial abuse reported that they sought help, and the percentage of those turning to banks dropped from 28% in 2024 to 21% in 2025.

“The Hidden Costs report’s findings expose an urgent need for greater awareness, education and targeted initiatives so everyone, regardless of gender, feels empowered to seek help if they think they are a victim of any form of FDV.”

Attributed to: Dr Alison Evans – Chief Executive Officer, Centre for Women’s Safety and Wellbeing.

“Financial abuse is a damaging form of family and domestic violence. The findings from Bankwest’s Hidden Costs report highlight both progress and persistent challenges in addressing financial abuse and support those experiencing it.

“It is encouraging to see that overall awareness of FDV and financial abuse is high, with women demonstrating particularly strong recognition of warning signs. However, there is still room for improvement, especially among men, where recognition rates remain lower.

“Improving recognition is vital to help build accountability for people with abusive behaviour to take responsibility for their actions.

“It is positive that many victim-survivors are seeking help, but the data also reveals a concerning gap: women, despite their heightened awareness, are significantly less likely than men to reach out for support.

“This reflects enduring barriers such as perceptions that the issue will not be taken seriously or that seeking help will not make a difference. These beliefs contribute to ongoing difficulties in getting help that must be addressed.

“Research consistently shows that women are more likely than men to experience FDV, including financial abuse, and yet they face greater obstacles to accessing support.

“The Bankwest survey findings highlight the imperative for policy makers and the financial services sector to work closely with victim-survivors and specialist FDV services to identify these barriers, and to dismantle them.

“Support for women experiencing financial abuse must be easily identifiable, accessible, and timely so that every person who needs help can access it.”