Stalking affects nearly one in six women and more than one in 19 men in the United States in their lifetime. The majority of stalking victims are stalked by individuals they know. Two-thirds (66.2 percent) of female victims report that the stalker was a former intimate partner. Common stalking tactics–including physical surveillance, unwanted phone calls, other unwanted contact, and property invasion or damage –impede victims’ employment and cause financial harm leading to economic insecurity. Stalking rates differ among women of different racial/ethnic backgrounds, with Native American women especially likely to experience stalking (24.5 percent of American Indian/Alaska Native women), while 13.9 percent of non-Hispanic Black women experiencing stalking. Some of the groups most likely to experience stalking also have among the lowest levels of financial resources available to address the issue. Stalking threatens victims’ employment and financial security in addition to their physical safety and well-being, and community and justice leaders can take affirmative steps to help ensure access to economic and other resources shown to promote safety.
About the author
Sarah Gonzalez Bocinski was the Director of the Economic Security for Survivors Project at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. Sarah oversaw the development of training, tools, and curricula and provided technical assistance to domestic/sexual violence programs and justice system professionals on strategies to better address the intersections of survivor economic security and safety. Sarah specialized in the creation and implementation of employment focused curricula as well as fostering comprehensive community-based support strategies.
Sarah has presented at national and regional conferences for domestic and sexual violence advocates and criminal justice professionals. Keynotes include Intersections of Economic Insecurity and Sexual Assault: Consequences of Childhood Victimization and Economic Insecurity and Barriers to Safety and Recovery for Rural Survivors. Sarah has been quoted by local and regional radio, and trade press on local efforts to address the needs of survivors.
Prior to joining IWPR, Sarah worked at Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW) where she advocated for policies that promote economic security for women and girls in the District of Columbia, and designed and facilitated career empowerment programs for job readiness programs, teen empowerment programs, and domestic violence programs. Before working at WOW, Sarah worked in institutional development. Sarah received her B.A. from Colgate University and Master of Public Policy from the Georgetown Public Policy Institute, where she studied on social welfare programs and workforce development policies.
