Control 'of' resources or control 'over' individuals? Exploring the management and distribution of resources within the household and economic abuse

This chapter considers literature on economic (including financial) abuse and its relationship to literature on the management and distribution of resources within the household. Research into economic abuse has been more prevalent in higher-income countries, though recent studies have highlighted aspects of control within different cultures, various contexts and more diverse households. Informed by considerations of power (including gender role ideologies), both literatures have generated lively conceptual and methodological debates. Whilst they overlap, control of household resources and control over a household member through coercion can be distinguished. An understanding of context is vital, since economic abuse can be experienced after separation, with implications beyond one household and over time. Given the growing recognition of economic abuse as a form of coercive control, future directions for research should explore how the issue can be incorporated more fully within wider research into the management and distribution of resources within the household.