Statistics Canada self-reported data shows that women and men both report having experienced physical assaults from partners at similar rates (23 per cent versus 17 per cent, respectively), but Sheehy points out the nature of those assaults and their impact are often vastly different.

The data shows women are considerably more likely to experience the most severe forms of intimate partner violence, including more devastating physical injuries and emotional suffering.

Women are also four to five times more likely to die at the hands of their partners than men are. Saskatchewan’s 2024 Domestic Violence Death Review Report found that 83 per cent of homicide victims were female and 82 per cent of perpetrators were male. The review also found that when it comes to the perpetrators’ history of violence, 64 per cent had prior police involvement with the victim.