I have been thinking of writing a post on this issue for some time, but was finally spurred into action after reading an article entitled ‘The financial abuse that affects 2 million Australian women‘, by Bianca Hartge-Hazelman. Bianca is the Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Financy, a finance publication for women. Bianca informs us that:
“Research indicates that financial abuse, at the hands of one partner over another in intimate relationships, is widespread and common in Australia.”
“Financial abuse is a form of domestic violence which each year costs the economy $15.6 billion, according to the National Council to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children (NCRVWC).”
So how many men are also subject to financial abuse at the hands of their partners? We don’t know as Bianca says nothing whatsoever about *that* side of the equation. Bianca’s article is by no means unusual in this regard, given that most articles on financial abuse completely ignore financial abuse perpetrated by women and/or cases where men are targeted for abuse.
Some recent examples of this form of anti-male gender bias include:
Domestic abusers controlling survivors’ cash rife with 5.5 million UK women experiencing economic abuse (27 November 2023)
Influencer jailed for 23 years over horrifying ‘honey trap’ robbery (6 November 2023)
Financial abusers to be cut off from accounts as banks crack down (3 October 2023) Australia
I ask men to show me their bank balance on the first date because I only want to go out with wealthy guys – I need to know if I’m wasting my time (31 August 2023) USA
Rise of the middle-aged pension hunters (6 June 2023) UK
Surviving Economic Abuse Guide (UK 2023) “One in six women in the UK has experienced economic abuse by a current or former partner. The effects can last a lifetime, with some women never free of the abuser’s control”.
Redesign banking products to protect women from financial abuse: Report (22 November 2022) And take a look at page 5 of the full report (entitled ‘Financial Abuse’). Can you see any mention of men as victims? No, me neither.
Why Tinder swindler wants early release from jail (22 February 2022) One pussy-pass coming right up, ma’am
‘A perfect storm’: Up to 70,000 women may have been coerced into withdrawing super (21 February 2022) Not one hint of men perhaps being abused in this manner (and no proof that women are/were).
Early release of superannuation ‘opened up a frontier’ for financial abuse (27 October 2020)
‘I became a victim of domestic violence after he took over our finances’ (20 October 2020)
Woman cons $800,000 from Tinder dates for fake blueberry farm (22 September 2020)
Financial abuse personal story (28 May 2020) by Mama Mia
The problem we all need to talk about (14 May 2020)
Time for a ‘Fxxx off fund’? And other things we need to talk about on money (13 March 2020)
Romance scammers target vulnerable Australian women in $60m swindle (13 February 2020)
‘Gloves off as the abused take control‘ (18 August 2015)
‘He could check everything I bought‘ (6 July 2019)
‘How financial abuse left one woman $300,000 in debt‘, and ‘Preventing the financial abuse of women in Australia: Can intersectionality help?‘ (10 September 2019)
Here’s an article from the U.K., and whilst we are over there let’s take a quick look at the web site of ‘Surviving Economic Abuse‘ which starts by informing readers that “many women experience economic abuse”. Just women
I could spend hours hunting for relevant statistics, but what’s the point when feminists are invariably nonplussed when confronted with facts anyway. Instead I thought I would take a different tack and recount to you the experiences of a male friend of mine. Let’s call him ‘Len’, and let’s call his ex-wife ‘The Lamprey‘ (or TL for short).
Len is one of the countless men who have been – and still are being – subjected to financial abuse by women they love, or once loved. His financial exploitation remains ongoing, although the worst is certainly over. He loves his kids, and with a shared custody arrangement in place Len has no choice but to remain in fairly close contact with his ex.
And no, I can assure you that I am not Len, but I do know him well enough to guarantee the accuracy of this account.
Len worked hard and accumulated assets. Although only in his thirties at the time he met his future wife, he was on the way to securing the ability to retire in his 40’s. Anyway they met and fell in love, and moved in together. A little later they married and were subsequently blessed with two youngsters.
The Lamprey had already trained as a teacher and worked in that profession for about six months before latching onto Len. I think she had also done a very limited amount of modeling work. To my knowledge she hasn’t worked another day since the time she moved in with Len.
Whilst living with Len, TL *chose* not to work. AFAIK there was no pressure from Len either way. Len paid for domestic help (i.e. cleaner, nanny, etc), which was just as well given her aversion to grocery shopping and housework. She also sent the kids out to child care at the first opportunity. How lucky that TL had chosen a husband who didn’t mind cooking. So, you might be asking, what did she do with her time?
The Lamprey loved to spend Len’s money. She went out for long lunches with friends at expensive cafes, she went shopping for clothes, and sometimes she took herself to stay at (you guessed it) expensive health spa resorts.
One of TL’s less endearing habits was waiting for Len to come home from work and then – as he began cooking/helping kids with homework/etc, she would say “Oh, I might go and have a shower now“, not to be seen again until dinner was on the table.
All the time Len doted on his wife and kids. He didn’t fool around with other women despite having ample opportunity to do so. They occasionally quarrelled on the few occasions when Len raised the issue of TL’s selfishness and profligate spending, but he certainly was never abusive towards her. Mostly he just let it pass.
Len bought some land in a prestige location and set about building the house of his dreams. It was a long, tiring and costly process. When it was finally finished (after about 2 years) he then, with the now enthusiastic help of TL, set about furnishing it.
By some strange quirk or coincidence, soon after they moved into the new house, TL announced that she no longer loved Len and asked when he could move out. TL had already briefed a lawyer and went straight into ‘attack mode’ to get the most generous settlement achievable. Len was completely blind-sided. He refused to move out so TL rented an apartment – at Len’s expense of course.
As reality set in Len was heartbroken. He tried hard to get TL to attend counselling etc, but she was lukewarm on that idea. Upon realising she had little or no intention of continuing their marriage, and with the added stress of parenting, work and legal proceedings, Len descended into depression and required counselling and medication. His friends and family were worried about both his physical health and state of mind, and incredibly angry about TL’s behaviour.
Allow me to illustrate. On one occasion TL came to collect the children from Len’s house. Len was so ill that he had called an ambulance. TL could not even be bothered to wait with Len to ensure he was OK until the ambulance arrived.
Let’s halt at this point to consider what TL added and subtracted from their 6-7 years of marriage. On the plus side TL contributed two children and companionship for Len.
On the negative side, TL contributed not one dollar to the household budget, did the barest minimum of housework, and when-ever possible farmed the kids out to commercial childcare providers, or to the care of her husband or extended family.
The Lamprey extracted all her very considerable living expenses, 5 star holidays, her divorce-related legal expenses, a large proportion of Len’s assets, and spousal support for 12 months. Len asked TL if he could delay payment of her ‘share’ of the marital home (his dream house) as the real estate market had crashed, and he would have to sell it at a fire-sale price. No, she didn’t care, she wanted ‘her’ money immediately.
I wonder how much of Len’s money, obtained by TL thanks to our outdated and gynocentric legal system, will be preserved for their childrens’ future and how much has already been squandered?
And you know what? Just before her spousal support payments were due to terminate TL had the temerity to ask Len if he could keep the payments going for a while longer. She needed to finish her yoga course before she could earn an income – she said she planned to make a career as an instructor. Thank goodness Len trod on that fabulous idea.
Not long after that, TL moved in with another guy. She married him but wouldn’t give him the kids that he wanted so they divorced not long after. Then she moved in with some retired sugar-daddy type character. So from one sponsor to the next as the fun and/or funds started running out.
Since the divorce TL has failed to meet her responsibilities to provide for 50% child support with respect to both the time she devotes to the children, and to her financial contribution to their support. Len has let her off the hook for the sake of the children, in order to preserve some degree of harmony. He rationalises the situation by saying that if they were still married he would be paying 100% of the kids expenses anyway. Throughout the process Len has been patient and gracious to a fault.
Does TL feel in any way guilty about her behaviour? I haven’t asked her, but I don’t believe so. Hell no. Her attitude, which I suspect is quite common, is that she only took what she had a right to take under the law. So that’s gotta be fair, right? Of course, nil consideration given as to whether the law/family court itself is actually fair. Well, TL et al, it’s not.
Is this not financial abuse? Damn right it is. Am I saying that most divorces are like this? No, but Len’s situation is far from being a rare occurrence in my experience. In fact I don’t think I would know anyone in my network of friends/family/acquaintances who has not seen this pattern play out several times within their own circles. Can it be any wonder that more and more men are reconsidering the wisdom of getting married?
Anyway that’s what can happen when couples divorce (or simply separate in the case of de-facto couples). But the extent of financial abuse of men by women goes well beyond divorce. Consider:
- ‘Sperm-jacking’, where a woman impregnates herself with sperm recovered from a condom, etc, and then demands child support (refer for example to this item and/or this item)
- Intentional pregnancy in the hope of trapping a man in marriage and/or having a child who is financially supported by another (thanks to mandatory child support till age 18) that occurs after a woman falsely tells a man that she is using contraception
- False claims of pregnancy from women seeking ‘payment’ of claimed abortion expenses and/or alleged child support (where for example they live in another country and are less likely to be trapped in a lie).
- Situations where a man or boy is raped by a woman, again resulting in mandatory child support (one legal precedent).
- Paternity fraud where a man is falsely told he is the father and pays child support. There are many instances where men have become suspicious and arranged DNA testing, found they were not the parent, but the court still subsequently ordered that they continue paying child support nonetheless.
In a growing number of cases we shall also see men subject to the same type of financial abuse traditionally experienced by some women. This is the result of the growing number of couples where the man assumes the role of house-husband. This decision may be voluntary or it may result from his inability to secure employment in a work environment that is increasingly favouring women. In such cases the male partner may have either a much lower income than his wife, or no income at all.
I am not surprised that these issues were not addressed in an article on domestic financial abuse by a feminist, for none of them are even blips on the feminist radar screen. And this despite the fact that they can be life-changing events in a man’s life, and in some cases life-ending events. Let that sink in, and ponder on it the next time you hear a feminist crowing about how men should respect women and do more to support them and their causes.
As for me, I cannot and will not respect narcissistic scroungers of either gender.
See also:
Woman wheels a dead man into a bank to sign a loan approval (April 2024)
‘Devastating’: Lonely grandfather loses $1m in Apple gift card scam (15 February 2024) Australia
Woman ‘killed boyfriend after he inherited $30,000,000 then planned to dump her’ (31 October 2023)
Survey reveals extent of economic abuse among Australian men and women (22 November 2023) Gratifying to see the Australian ABC make mention to men being abused.
Weaponising banks against men, by Bettina Arndt (6 July 2023)
Woman has fiancé sign contract saying he’ll pay her bills if he cheats, sparking debate (26 August 2022) Now try running this story after reversing genders
‘I’m really concerned about money and my wife doesn’t understand why’ (7 August 2022) OK, it might not be financial abuse yet, but this article already sets up the justification for wife to err without being called to account. Meanwhile if husband loses financial status then you can be he’ll be judged – and harshly – including judgement and possible subsequent rejection by his wife.
A guide to financial abuse, from spotting the signs to getting help (23 June 2022) Cosmopolitan magazine advises “New data shows 35% of women in a relationship are financially dependent on their partner”. With regards to male victims of financial abuse we are treated to the sound of crickets chirping.
Sydney bikini model Stevie Bamford fraudulently stayed in luxury Hilton hotel (7 April 2022) It seems that looking hot only gets you so far – nevertheless I suspect #PussyPass incoming!
He should trust me (undated video regarding pre-nuptial agreements)
Woman claimed she forgot she had divorced her late husband when she tried to claim his estate (8 November 2021) The abuse doesn’t even end when you die
Natasha Darcy guilty of murdering Walcha sheep farmer Mathew Dunbar (news.com.au) (15 June 2021) Australia
Woman jailed after plotting for gang of armed robbers to raid ex-boyfriend’s home and attack him (11 August 2020)
Surprise! I know she’s not my daughter (29 July 2020) Why would you do this to me? (She says)
Abused woman who killed husband is granted the family’s U.K. estate (1 June 2020)
Dads by deception (5 May 2020)
Kristin Cavallari Wants $5M To By New House, Jay Cutler Freezes Accounts, Tells Her To Get A Job (2 May 2020) Stories about divorce-rape only make it into the media if there’s one or more celebrities involved.
Appeals court slaps down Conroe judge (10 April 2020) USA
Japanese model divorces husband after literally spending all his money (15 January 2020)
Man forced to pay child support despite finding out he’s not the father – Now he’s taking legal action (23 December 2019)
Hotel cleaner who stole sperm from a used condom won child support battle (9 November 2019)
Nurse banned for taking $1.5 million from old man (26 September 2019) Australia
Though unattractive, you still need a pre-nup or cohabitation agreement (24 September 2019) When men were richer then they were lambasted for seeking a pre-nup, but now that women are better-off then pre-nups make good sense (for them). This mirrors a similar about-turn with regards to alimony.
Lloyds Bank to give itself the right to remove husbands from joint accounts with their wives (27 August 2019) To stop financial abuse (only by men)
Motherhood by theft (11 August 2019) UK
A fitting tweet on the notion of ‘Happy Wife Happy Life’ (22 July 2019)
Woman left $5,000 tip for server to get back at boyfriend (3 July 2019) USA
My ex left me with 26,000 British pounds of debt (30 April 2019)
Mum received more than $83,000 in donations after ‘pretending to have cancer’ (9 April 2019) UK
The Internet reacts to Cardi B saying she used to drug and rob men (25 March 2019)
Men finally admit to being bullied by their exes over child access, money and love (19 March 2019)
Arizona woman can use fertilized embryos to get pregnant without ex’s consent, court rules (19 March 2019) USA. And *he* has to pay
Men becoming “increasing victims” of coercive control, legal experts claim (9 March 2019)
When male rape victims are accountable for child support (21 February 2019)
Thousands of dads are left in shock as DIY paternity tests soar (15 January 2019) UK
Domestic Violence and Immigration Fraud Part 2 (20 November 2018) Video
Love-rat faked cancer to dupe three Tinder dates (16 October 2018)
https://twitter.com/victorymonk/status/1040931212234174464
Americans Conned into Marrying Immigrants for Green Cards (14 July 2018)
#MeToo has rich men wary of extortion (8 March 2019)
Three charts on: how emotional and economic abuse go hand-in-hand (20 November 2017) See also reader’s comment by Chris Lloyd illustrating similarity in rates of male/female abuse.
Vancouver women’s shelter sues the victim (6 November 2017)
Millionaires Reduced to Under $10 by Divorce (19 October 2017) A Stefan Molyneux video
Hotshot Wall Street banker says jilted lover drove his Benz into pool (15 October 2017) Men routinely criticized for treating women as sex objects, but women can treat men as success objects/ATM’s with minimal recriminations.
How feminism destroys families (12 September 2017) UK
LIZ JONES: Women NEED diamond rings – it makes hitting men easier (21 August 2017) Liz thinks that both physical abuse and financial abuse of men is OK/justified
Family trusts often cause more harm than good (26 July 2017) Author tut-tuts at men who establish legal structures to protect assets in the event of divorce, or in his words “to avoid the fair division of property after a relationship breakdown”. Because the law is always fair, right? And if someone has to be harmed then it might was well be the husband.
‘My wife didn’t tell me she was trying to get pregnant’ (22 July 2017)
Family finances and family violence: the conversation we need to start, by Moo Baulch (27 June 2017) Hard-line feminist and key figure in Domestic Violence Industry acknowledges male victims – will wonders never cease?
In May 2017 much media attention was given to a practice labelled as ‘stealthing’, whereby men remove their condom during sex without their partners consent (example). Few articles even made passing reference to the fact that women perpetrate a similar act when they falsely claim to be using contraceptives in order to ‘trap’ a man in a relationship and/or secure an income stream via child support payments. This issue was addressed in this article, and then in a follow-up article by Martin Daubney. See also this Reddit discussion thread.
Bell v Landry: paying your wife an ‘allowance’ is an insult (10 May 2017) One-sided wisdom from misandrist journalist, Jenna Price.
Karl Stefanovic and Cassandra Thorburn complete carving-up of assets six months after announcement (6 May 2017) Gee, it costs a guy a lot to keep in touch with his kids nowadays, huh? Another divorce-rape
Man killed himself after being conned out of his life savings by fake girlfriend he met on dating site (5 May 2017) UK
Prostitute allegedly conspired with two male friends to rob cashed-up miner, but inadvertently killed him (4 May 2017)
Millionaire tycoon loses legal fight to stop wife who cheated on him walking away with half of his £150 million fortune (12 April 2017) with related Reddit discussion thread here
When having separate bank accounts is the opposite of independence, by Polly Dunning (21 March 2017) Australia. And again, because only men financially abuse and humiliate their partners.
The biggest financial risk for women today? Embarking on a relationship (19 March 2017) One can always rely on The Guardian to provide an alternative and suitably distorted view of reality.
Unwanted child is no grounds to sue mum for lying about taking the pill: court (4 March 2017)
Now it’s men who are the victims of lonely hearts fraudsters (8 March 2017) UK
Revealed: the hidden problem of economic abuse in Australia (2 March 2017) This article provides corresponding figures for abuse of men, although the definition employed excludes many of the variations of abuse noted in this post.
Economic abuse a relatively unknown form of domestic violence (2 March 2017)
‘Getting divorced? Go after his pension’ (25 February 2017)
Men outraged over paying child support for kids who are not theirs (23 February 2017) USA
Conwoman Sanaa Derbas jailed for dating scam targeting lonely men (23 February 2017)
A website dedicated to trapping men with falsified pregnancy documents, sonograms, test results, etc. is ruthlessly investigated … many male victims interviewed (13 February 2017) Reddit discussion thread with linked video.
Chilling confession of ‘Sextortion Queen’ in Philippines (24 January 2017)
‘He took away my money and my freedom’: Financial abuse is just as destructive as physical abuse but often goes unnoticed (22 January 2017) UK
Very much focused on the abuse of women, but at least this article notes that 40% of victims (in the cited study) were male.
When care becomes control – financial abuse cuts across cultures (17 January 2017) Why bother surveying men when financial abuse only happens to women, right?
Nearly a third of parents unwilling to leave estate to their children for fear they will lose it in divorce (4 January 2017)
Nearly half of men who take paternity test are not the real father (3 January 2017) UK
The boss and the secretary: Five reasons powerful men get beautiful girls (20 December 2016) Australia. And another article promoting the notion that only men exploit women.
Woman Claims She’s Paying College Bills With Positive Pregnancy Tests (19 December 2016) USA
This year the most attractive men in the world will lose hundreds of millions to their divorcing wives: Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt and now George Clooney too: his wife is ready to get at least $ 300 million dollars from him (11 December 2016) Reddit men’s rights discussion thread
Mum charged with faking DNA tests to con ex into thinking he was baby’s dad (8 December 2016) UK
Teacher who started a £30m-a-year fashion empire from his garage fights to stop his ex-wife getting £2.7m of his fortune – more than a decade after they split (29 November 2016)
Domestic violence also has an economic penalty – we need to tackle it (29 November 2016) and Financial abuse: The hidden form of domestic violence affecting millions (25 November 2016) Two more articles re: financial abuse that doesn’t even hint that men can also be victimised in this manner
Banks enhance support for family and domestic violence victims (22 November 2016) Australia. The guidelines seem to be reasonably gender-neutral, although I wonder to what extent they will be as applied in real-life. There is also no mention made of the reality of false accusations being made as a form of abuse.
Woman asks her 20 boyfriends to buy her a new iPhone, then sells them all for house deposit (2 November 2016)
Mariah Carey and James Packer split gets nasty with name calling, $50M demand (29 October 2016)
Doctor sues gay friend for child support, 16 years after he first donated sperm to her (27 October 2016)
Sumner Redstone Sues Ex-Companions for Elder Abuse to Reclaim $150M in Gifts (25 October 2016)
Jets, vacation homes, Botox all factors in cancer center founder’s divorce (21 October 2016) USA
Males Out of Work – NYT Does Not Get It (18 October 2016) It’s worth considering that whilst there exists this backdrop of financial abuse, the financial well-being of many men is declining considerably rendering them less able to rebound after losses are incurred.
Marital wallet rape is bad, m’kay? (6 October 2016)
Fake pregnancy: MGTOW (2 October 2016) Video
Blame the Patriarchy! (29 September 2016)
James tells Mariah: ‘Stop spending all my money!’ (26 September 2016)
Man wins fight against paying support for another man’s child (23 September 2016)
ShowerThought about paternity fraud (11 September 2016) Reddit discussion thread
‘I’m not paying for that’: Financial abuse is awfully common (6 September 2016)
Well at least this article acknowledges that some financial abuse of men does occur … only to minimise it by saying “While men are also affected by financial abuse, the majority of cases are women”. Hmm, sounds like so many domestic violence article doesn’t it?
Eddie the Eagle’s fallen flat on his face: Divorce reduces to ski-jump hero to living on egg sandwiches in his shed because his wife has taken £180,000 Hollywood windfall (5 September 2016)
Mum convinces husband to pay for £6,000 boob job then becomes glamour model and dumps him (1 September 2016) UK
“I pleaded with him to lend me the money and knew it would give me a new lease of life” … “I didn’t really have any desire to pay him back. If I had to choose between the boobs and him, it was an easy choice.”
[Parental rights] This is what we’re up against (BURIED in a legal advice sub) (30 August 2016) Reddit discussion thread
Berlin to Require Mums to Come Clean on ‘Milkmen’s Kids’ (29 August 2016) Then read how an Australian feminist thinks this is all about slut-shaming (no mention of the notion of fraud or men being due some modicum of respect.
Comedian Aries Spears: ‘Women … Rape men financially’ through child support demands (24 August 2016)
Sydney mum defrauded lonely men of $2 million (23 August 2016)
American Slavery: Man Paying Child Support for Another Man’s Kid (1 August 2016) USA
US man forced to pay support for a child that’s not his (30 July 2016)
And in a cruel twist, it ‘Turns Out That the Husband’s Job Is Probably the Best Predictor of Divorce‘ (28 July 2016) So those men get hammered twice
One in 50 British fathers unknowingly raises another man’s child (6 April 2016)
After Simon was maimed by a Taliban bomb, his wife walked out, squandered much of his £1million compensation – then took him to court for more (2 December 2015)
Women selling/buying positive pregnancy tests (March 2015) Youtube video
In Defense Of Gold Diggers: It’s Not Always What It Seems (17 January 2015) with related Reddit discussion thread here.
Nurse faked DNA test and pretended friend’s baby was her own to trick one-night stand walks free from prison (1 December 2014)
Relationship problems and money: Women talk about financial abuse by Prue Cameron (2014) Australia
“Financial abuse in a family violence context involves behaviours that ‘control a woman’s ability to acquire, use and maintain economic resources, threatening her economic security and potential for self-sufficiency’” (p13)
Financial abuse of men not even recognised in the definition used for this research project, which subsequently surveyed only women and made recommendations that only applied to women. This despite the fact that most or even all of the specific forms of abuse discussed, such as being dragged into and out of family court, also clearly are also experiences that also apply to men.
Man who paid child support for 22 years can’t get a refund (19 August 2014)
National Organisation of Women (USA) opposes measures that would help protect men from paternity fraud (6 July 2014)
Meet the woman who’s dating her way into meals at top Toronto restaurants (25 October 2013)
How to snag a rich man: Confessions of a gold digger (31 July 2013)
Rape victim in the USA (a boy) is sued for child support (2004) with related Reddit discussion thread here
Should paternity tests at birth be mandatory (12 February 2013) Video
Should we be doing more to expose paternity fraud? (4 September 2015) and related reddit discussion thread
Woman steals ex-boyfriends sperm, has twins, sues for child support(23 November 2011)
http://news.yahoo.com/video/man-may-jailed-not-paying-203459828.html
http://www.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/35rlw6/a_paternity_test_will_be_available_to_buy_over/
Can you make a male baby sitter pay child support?
Other posts in this blog of relevance to this issue include:
The ‘Marriage Strike’ and MGTOW
On ‘spurgling’, paternity theft, and baby stealing
On Spousal Maintenance / Alimony
We’ve all heard of the gender ‘income gap’, but what about the ‘expense gap’?
On recognising and supporting male victims of domestic violence