- 78 percent of domestic violence shelters nationwide (nearly eight out of ten) report an increase in women seeking assistance from abuse.
- 74 percent of survivors stayed with an abusive partner longer because of financial issues.
- 58 percent of shelters reported that the abuse is more violent now than before 2008.
- 87 percent of domestic violence shelters (nearly nine out of ten) expect their overall situation during the next 12 months will be worse than now, or the same as now, due to the economy.
- 95 percent reported that survivors needed to stay in shelters for longer durations of time.
- Of shelters that were forced to reduce services, 47 percent decreased childcare efforts, which meant that they were not able to help one in four children.
- 86 percent of shelters witnessed negative social effects on children such as bullying or withdrawal.
- 62 percent reported that young women (age 12-24) are requesting help in greater numbers.
- 92 percent of shelters had to end or scale back specific programs and services.
Mary Kay Inc. and The Mary Kay FoundationSM have continually been leaders in domestic violence awareness and prevention programs. In light of these survey findings, Mary Kay and The Mary Kay Foundation have been responding with the following programs:
- Lobbying for Good: Since the 1980s, Mary Kay Inc. and its independent sales force members have lobbied Congress and state legislatures on issues including insurance coverage of mammograms for women, the Violence Against Women Act and teen dating violence awareness and prevention.
- Shelter Grants: Through the support of Mary Kay Inc., The Mary Kay FoundationSM will have awarded more than $31 million to domestic violence prevention programs and women’s shelters in all 50 states by the end of 2012.
- Nature Explore Classrooms: Mary Kay Inc. and The Mary Kay FoundationSM partner with the Arbor Day Foundation to construct Nature Explore Classrooms to promote the healing powers of nature – the first of their kind to be built at U.S. domestic violence shelters. By the end of 2012, Mary Kay will have funded 17.
- Beauty That Counts®: In the United States, from Sept. 16 through Dec. 15, 2012, $1 will be donated from each sale of limited-edition* Beauty That Counts® Mary Kay® NouriShine Plus™ Lip Gloss in two shades. Since 2008, Mary Kay has donated millions of dollars from the worldwide sales of Beauty That Counts® products to causes that change the lives of women and children worldwide.
The fourth “Mary Kay Truth About Abuse Survey” polled 733 domestic violence shelters across the United States about domestic violence and the economy since September 2008, a major turning point in the U.S. economy. The study was conducted online between Feb. 7-17, 2012. Comprehensive 2012 survey findings summarize national and regional results. Past surveys from 2009-2011 are available at: www.marykay.com/survey.
Mary Kay is one of the largest direct sellers of skin care and color cosmetics. In 2009, Mary Kay achieved $2.5 billion in wholesale sales worldwide. Mary Kay® products are sold in more than 35 markets around the world, and the global Mary Kay independent sales force exceeds 2 million. To learn more about Mary Kay, log on to www.marykay.com or call 1-800-MARY KAY (1-800-627-9529).