Bud Pierce, the Republican candidate for Governor of Oregon, said during his second debate with current Democratic Governor Kate Brown that educated women are not susceptible to abuse.
The debate moderator asked the candidates a question about a recent report which found that 50 percent of Oregon women had been victims of sexual assault or domestic violence.
Governor Brown spoke first and said:
“I know what it feels like to be a victim of domestic violence. I know what it feels like to represent clients who can’t get restraining orders on abusive partners. That’s why I spent a number of years in the Oregon legislature strengthening Oregon’s domestic violence and sexual assault laws…”
When it was Pierce’s turn to respond, he shocked the audience and his opponent with this statement:
“A woman that has a great education and training and a great job is not susceptible to this kind of abuse by men, women, or anyone.”
The audience actually booed in response to Pierce’s answer. It’s unbelievable that he would say domestic violence doesn’t affect educated women right after his opponent, the governor or Oregon, admitted that she had been a victim of domestic violence herself.
Studies have shown that low-income women experience intimate partner violence at higher rates than high-income women. But this does not mean a good education and a higher income makes a woman immune from abuse.
In fact, one study determined that women are more likely to suffer from domestic abuse if their income and education level are higher than their partners’.
Women who earned more than 67 percent of their total household income were 7 times more likely to be physically or psychologically abused, compared with women who earned less than 33 percent of the household income.
Pierce later issued a statement correcting his debate comment, and apologizing to Governor Brown.
The statement said:
“I know that any women, regardless of economic status, can be subject to domestic violence and sexual abuse.”
Update: @BudPierce4Gov issued a written statement about his domestic violence comments and apologized to @KateBrownForOR pic.twitter.com/OUKHlWTmIy
— John Tierney (@jtierney6) October 1, 2016
Watch the full exchange during the debate at 48:36:
And watch this documentary about real domestic abuse stories from the perspective of the educated abused women:
Featured Image: Screenshot Via YouTube Video.
