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Women and gender-diverse people are already at higher risk of violence—but can being autistic further increase your likelihood of experiencing gender-based violence?
According to early research, autistic people are more at risk when it comes to experiencing interpersonal violence. This could be physical, sexual, emotional or financial. Many autistic people experience factors associated with higher rates of violence, including communication challenges, literal thinking, missing contextual and social cues, and difficulty seeing red flags. Living as a neurodivergent person in a neuronormative world is inherently traumatic—and autistic people are also far more likely to experience bullying. This means that a lot of autistic people already have poor experiences, so it can be even harder to recognise signs of abuse—especially types of abuse that may not be as obvious.
Researchers are only just beginning to look into the link between autism and experiencing violence—and so far, it looks like there is a correlation. It’s important we look at these links and raise awareness of the risk factors that can be present for many autistic people so we can reduce autistic gender-based violence.
Autistic people can also be more at-risk of financial abuse, particularly those who also live with other disabilities that might further impact their ability to earn an income. The unemployment rate for autistic people is 31.6%--that’s three times higher than the rate of disability unemployment, and six times the rate of those who are neurotypical. As a result, autistic people may be more dependent on other people, and therefore more likely to experience financial dependence—and abuse—as a result.
Research that specifically looks at gender-based autistic violence is limited: most of it looks at autistic people as a whole, rather than analysing the experiences of women and gender-diverse autistics.
However, a French study [external link] that surveyed 225 autistic women indicated that around 9 in 10 autistic women have experienced sexual violence.
In another study, between 60 and 90% of autistic women and those assigned female at birth had experienced some form of sexual assault, while an online survey indicated that 70% of autistic adults had experienced some form of sexual assault from the age of 14—compared to 45% of those who aren’t autistic.
The culmination of this research suggests that autism could be a vulnerability factor. However, it’s important to note that a lot of autistic women and gender-diverse people may not be aware they’re autistic—and also may not be aware that their experiences “count” as violence, which may very likely impact these statistics. It can also be harder for autistic people to report their experiences, due to a lack of accessibility in the justice system.
Since both autism and gender are linked with higher rates of violence, it’s reasonable to conclude there is a correlation between autistic experiences and gender-based violence—and we know these risk factors only increase for LGBTQIA+ people, people of colour, and those with other disabilities. For example, according to the Disability Royal Commission’s Final Report, around 90% of women with intellectual disabilities have experienced sexual violence.
It’s clear that more research is needed into autistic gender-based violence. And while there is a significant gap in research, studies do suggest that autistic people—especially girls, women and gender-diverse people—are more likely to experience various types of violence.
More research and education is needed, with programs specifically made for autistic people. It’s also important that support services and the justice system have a better understanding of autism, its links to risk of violence, as well as championing reasonable adjustments that can make the system much more accessible.
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