Changed and Changing Gender and Family Roles and Domestic Violence in African Refugee Background Communities Post-Settlement in Perth, Australia

• NCJ Number: 245954
• Journal: Violence Against Women Volume: 19 Issue: 7 Dated: July 2013 Pages: 833-847
• Author(s): Colleen Fisher
• Date Published: July 2013
• Length: 15 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

In this study, domestic violence DV in five African refugee background communities post-settlement in Perth, Australia, is investigatedspecifically, the interrelationship between experiences of DV, and changed and changing gender and family roles and responsibilities.

Abstract

In this study, domestic violence DV in five African refugee background communities post-settlement in Perth, Australia, is investigatedspecifically, the interrelationship between experiences of DV, and changed and changing gender and family roles and responsibilities. The participatory qualitative design utilized in-depth interviews with 54 members of the Somalian, Sierra Leonean, Ethiopian, Liberian and Sudanese Communities, and focus groups with 24 professionals who support them. Three key dimensions of this interrelationship are discussed: male loss of the breadwinner role and status, financial independence, and mismatch between formal response and expectations. The importance of understanding experiences of DV within the context of cultural transition is highlighted here. Abstract published by arrangement with Sage.