NCJ Number
225853
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 24 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2009 Pages: 27-39
Date Published
January 2009
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This study applied Connell’s (1987, 1995) model of gender relations in examining women’s experiences of continued abuse and harassment in the aftermath of leaving an abusive intimate relationship.
Abstract
The results suggest that structured relations of inequality, namely relations of production, power, and psychosexual energy, shape women’s risk of abuse and harassment after leaving, and do so in ways that shape relations of coercive control. In conclusion, studies on intimate partner violence are unequivocal in concluding that most women leave their abusive partners. What remains unclear is the understanding of the leaving process, including the factors that increase women’s risk of continued abuse and harassment. This study adds evidence that challenges dominant societal beliefs about intimate partner violence being a personal problem rather than a societal issue. Knowledge about how systemic gender inequalities make disentangling from abusive partners challenging and often dangerous is critical to bridging the gap between hegemonic (having a predominant influence) beliefs and a realistic appraisal of intimate social worlds. This study focused on the intersection of previous research findings, specifically Connell’s 1987 and 1995 model of gender relations and examined the relationships among gender inequality, relations of power and control, and patterns of violence after leaving, in a community sample of 309 Canadian women. Before leaving, all of the participant women had experienced intimate partner violence. Figure, tables, and references