'You fight like a girl': Intimate partner abuse perpetration and recidivism amongst Australian women

Compared to men, little is known about the women who come to police attention for the perpetration of intimate partner abuse. This thesis investigated patterns in the contacts women have with police for both family violence victimisation and perpetration, compared the risk factors associated with repeat police contact for intimate partner abuse in men and women, and studied the psychometric properties of three existing risk assessment tools when used by police with female perpetrators. The results add to a growing understanding of the heterogeneous nature of female intimate partner abuse and how police might assess risk in this area.