Domestic Violence in the Second Half of Life

Providing an adequate and effective community response to women age 50 and older who experience domestic violence is complicated by the oftentimes disparate goals and expectations of service providers, emergency responders, and victims themselves. This article shares information provided by participants of focus groups designed to understand and identify what women age 50 and older want and need from agencies that provide services to enhance victim safety.     

Prevalence of Sexually Abusive Experiences in Childhood and Adolescence Among a Community Sample of Latinas: A Descriptive Study

This study examined the prevalence, severity, and circumstances of self-reported sexually coercive and abusive experiences in childhood and adolescence in a community sample of Latina women (N?=?204) ages 18 to 34 years. Results from structured phone interviews indicated that 35%?of the women reported experiencing some form of sexual abuse, 31%?of the reported perpetrators were family members, and 52%?were boyfriends, friends, or acquaintances. Of those who reported an abusive experience, 44%?had not disclosed the abuse to anyone; for those who did disclose, 74%?reported feeling supported. Findings highlight the importance of including peer and dating-partner abuse in the assessment of CSA and the necessity for outreach to Latina women who may have never disclosed their experiences of abuse.     

“This Should Not Be Happening in This Country”: Private‐Life Violence and Immigration Intersections in a U.S. Gateway City

In the United States, the rise in ethnic diversity due to immigration in recent decades has been most visible in new “gateway” cities and towns, such as the Baltimore–Washington, D.C. corridor, now the fourth‐largest gateway for new immigration. Among the more grave issues that immigrant women face in these gateways and elsewhere is the experience of intimate partner violence. This article reports on a study using qualitative methods to document the problem, approaches, and challenges in the rapidly diversifying city of Baltimore, Maryland. We report on individual and focus‐group interviews with professionals in 10 agencies who work directly with the Baltimore populations. Drawing on intersectionality theory, we propose a conceptual framework that disaggregates the location of “immigration” into four components: contexts of exit, contexts of reception, racial and class hierarchies, and culture. The study's results problematize cultural essentialist models and raise questions about current U.S. legal systems regarding immigration.     

Building a Translengua in Latina Lesbian Organizing

ABSTRACT

This article discusses the challenges and rewards, as well as the affective labor, involved in forging a Latina lesbian “translengua,” in other words a common language in the context of Latina lesbian organizing. I explore how members of Latina Lesbians en Nuestro Ambiente (LLENA) and Amigas Latinas, Chicago-based Latina lesbian organizations, attempted to foster consensus for collective action in the face of language differences and preferences. Through analysis of archives and interviews with activists, I untangle how LLENA and Amigas Latinas negotiated deeply personal and sensitive issues around language use as they worked to build an inclusive movement. I also identify strategies used to enact a translengua that could bridge linguistic differences within the Latina lesbian community.     

Violence against women—social services support during legal proceedings

Social workers and social work have been criticized for failing to address violence against women in adequate ways, of blaming the victim and failing to recognize domestic violence as a problem. At the same time, it is the social services that are responsible for support to abused women, according to amendments in the Social Services Act (2001). This article examines abused women’s own experiences of support in connection with the police investigation of domestic violence. It is a qualitative study with six women who all have received support from the Relationship Violence Center (RVC) in Stockholm. The main findings in the article suggest that support in connection with the judicial process is important. Women’s earlier experiences or preconceptions of the social services might prevent them from accepting support or turning to the social services for help.     

Sexual Problems and Distress among Men and Women with Same-Sex and Opposite-Sex Sexual Partners: An Analysis of a Nationally Representative Sample of Adults in Great Britain

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to examine differences in reporting sexual problems and distress among men and women with same-sex and opposite-sex sexual partners.

Methods: Multinomial regression was undertaken on risk of reporting sexual problems and/or distress using data from the third National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles.

Results: Differences were detected between men of different sexual behavior groups when considering the problems “lack of enjoyment in sex,” “felt anxious during sex,” “felt no excitement or arousal during sex,” “lack of interest in sex,” “did not reach/took a long time to reach climax,” and “getting or keeping an erection.” Fewer differences were detected among women.

Conclusions: Women reporting same sex sexual partners, and to a greater extent men reporting same sex sexual partners , have different sexual health needs and report sexual health problems and distress to a different extent than is the case for individuals who only have opposite-sex sexual partners     

“Family” Support for Family Violence: Exploring Community Support Systems for Lesbian and Bisexual Women Who Have Experienced Abuse

ABSTRACT

“Family” is a euphemistic term that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people use among ourselves to designate membership in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. Ironically, this “family” may be the most sought, yet least successful, support for dealing with the intimate partner violence that occurs within LGBT families. This study of 11 lesbian and bisexual women's experiences seeking support revealed several tiers of unmet needs within the LGBT community. They rarely used services in the general community, although these services are often the focus of both criticism and efforts to build support systems for LGBT victim/survivors. A model presents the different stages and potential sources of support.     

Abused Latina Women's Perceptions of Their Postdivorce Adjustment

This qualitative study explores the postdivorce adjustment of battered Latina immigrants. Three focus groups were conducted. Data were analyzed utilizing a grounded theory approach. Five conceptual themes were unearthed including: (a) intimate partner violence (IPV) as the precipitator for divorce; (b) motivations for leaving; (c) the impact of the Latino culture on marriage, separation, and postdivorce; (d) immigration and other legal and social issues; and (e) postdivorce/post-IPV experiences. Implications for practice are drawn.     

Belonging: women living with intellectual disabilities and experiences of domestic violence

Women with an intellectual disability are under-represented in domestic violence research, yet they are one of the most vulnerable groups who are at risk of violence and abuse. This article aims to contribute to the domestic violence field by reporting on a narrative dialogic performative study, which utilised a feminist poststructural perspective to explore significant relationships and the concept of belonging in the lives of women with a mild intellectual disability. Four in-depth narrative interviews were conducted. The study found that the women shared similar stories of devaluation and rejection in childhood and hence the women’s search for belonging contributed to their vulnerability to exploitation and abuse in domestic violence relationships. The paper argues that gendered discourses and constructions of intellectual disability regulate domestic violence as a personal problem or way of life for women with intellectual disabilities.     

Statute Definitions of Elder Abuse

ABSTRACT

Older women victims of violence by a partner or family member are more often categorized as victims of elder abuse, not victims of family violence. Their needs are assessed, if at all, by social and health service agencies, often with little knowledge or understanding of domestic violence, while domestic violence policy initiatives, advocacy, and services focus on younger women and children. A survey of domestic violence services in British Columbia and the Yukon found that women over 60 years of age were a very small fraction, generally less than two percent, of women served, and those 50 to 59 years of age were also substantially under-represented. Only four percent of respondents had special services for older women. Comments from respondents confirm that abused older women face enormous difficulties in trying to establish a safe and secure future. It was also evident that better interaction is needed between those providing support and advocacy for abused women, and those who provide health and social services for older persons. A majority of the shelters provided community education to a wide range of agencies. Most have only partial accessibility to women with mobility handicaps.     

MADE IN THE USA: LATINAS/OS?, GARMENT WORK AND ETHNIC CONFLICT IN LOS ANGELES' SWEAT SHOPS

In the 1990s Latino identity is increasingly constructed as a ‘universal’, ‘classless’ and genderless pan-ethnicity. In this article I problematize this construct through an ethnographic study of Latina workers in the Los Angeles garment industry whose jobs are not only gender and ethnic specific but also immigrant specific. These women are located at the bottom of a complex organizational structure of an industry that promotes Third World conditions in the US in addition to promoting inter-ethnic and intra-ethnic conflict among workers. The voiced testimonies of these Latina garment workers provide a vivid record of contractor abuse, the unrelenting demands and difficulties of garment work, and the exploitative conditions and ethnic rivalries that make it difficult for Latinas to forge an effective culture of resistance. I argue that the survival of Latina garment workers rests on their ability to negotiate collaborative relations based on their unique struggles and experiences within the garment industry as women, immigrants, racialized workers and specific types of Latina Americanas. Finally, I highlight the importance of recording the insights of those women who not only experience the contemporary conditions of global capitalism, but also endeavour to speak rather than silence these conditions.     

Cultural Trailblazers: Exploring the Career Development of Latina First‐Generation College Students

Latinas in the United States have had historically low college graduation rates, are overrepresented in lower paying occupations, and experience culture‐ and values‐based struggles in obtaining career goals. As Latinas increase their presence as a cultural group in higher education and grow in the U.S. workforce, researchers are called to uncover the challenging and complex career development experience of this diverse group of students. This qualitative study used a grounded theory methodology to explore the values and life‐role salience associated with the career development of Latina 1st‐generation college students at a primarily Caucasian institution. Results included 2 overarching themes with 5 subthemes supporting culturally sensitive career counseling practices while working with this sample. Future research implications examining the efficacy of interventions to help Latina 1st‐generation college students succeed in college are provided.     

Pathogenic and Protective Relations in Alcoholic Families (I): Development of the Ritual Invasion Scale

ABSTRACT

Family of origin daily routines and celebratory rituals may serve to protect offspring from the harmful effects of parental drinking. However, parental alcoholism may disrupt these positive rituals, and this “invasion” has been proposed as a mechanism for transmitting risk to offspring. This paper describes the development of a “Ritual Invasion Scale” which may facilitate research and treatment applications with these families.     

Rebirth of the Self: How Battered Women Experience Treatment

The study analyzes battered women's experiences of treatment processes and results. A qualitative methodology based on the phenomenological approach, including semi-structured deep interviews, was used in collecting and analyzing the data of 60 women who had undergone treatment in six different agencies. All the agencies were highly qualified in providing psychosocial intervention in cases involving domestic violence and were operated by the Israel Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. The findings reveal that the most significant experience for the women was being held and contained by the social worker, an action that allowed their recognition of self. Concerning outcomes, objective results such as taking action toward changing the violent relationship or leaving it were much less significant in the women's experience. Various aspects of the experience are described and analyzed, emphasizing the treatment process as a rebirth of the women. Implications for treatment based on this significant perspective are given.     

Domestic Violence in the South Asian Muslim Immigrant Population in the United States

This paper describes the phenomenon of domestic violence in the South Asian Muslim population living in the United States. Religion, culture, and family play significant and positive roles in the lives of South Asian women. This paper highlights some of the problematic areas in which these institutions are not responding to the needs of women. These findings are based upon the author's work in a committee for the prevention of domestic violence in the Muslim community and upon personal experience of the South Asian culture.     

Sex counts: An examination of sexual service advertisements in a UK online directory

Internationally, sex work research, public opinion, policy, laws, and practice are predicated on the assumption that commercial sex is a priori sold by women and bought by men. Scarce attention has been devoted to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer/questioning (LGBTQ) sex working as well as women who pay for sex. This is as much an empirical absence as it is a theoretical one, for the ideological claim that women comprise the “vast majority” of sex workers is rarely, if ever, exposed to empirical scrutiny. Focusing on the UK, we address this major gap in evidence in order to challenge the gendered and heterosexist logics that underpin contemporary debates. We do so by presenting large-scale data gained from the quantitative analysis of 25,511 registered member profiles of an online escort directory. Our findings point to heterogeneity rather than homogeneity in the contemporary sex industry including in terms of gender identity, sexual orientation, and advertised client base. For example, while two-thirds of advertisements self-identify as “Female,” one in four are listed as “Male;” less than half list their sexual orientation as “Straight;” and nearly two-thirds advertise to women clients. Our study thus challenges prevailing heteronormative assumptions about commercial sex, which erase LGBTQ sex workers and other non-normative identities and practices, and which we argue have important political, practical, and theoretical consequences.     

Abused Women in Taiwan Who Seek Religious Support

ABSTRACT

This research explores the types of religious healing that abused women use and surveys their experiences with these practices in Taiwan. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of abused women, who had been recruited from 12 agencies. The findings show that participants sought religious healing for a variety of reasons, and that they had both positive experiences (e.g., useful religious support) and negative experiences (e.g., encountering deceptive jitongs and spending a large amount of money on services) regardingr the support provided by different religions. This study also found that women who believed in traditional Eastern religions had more negative experiences than women who believed in Western religions.     

The Perspectives of Latina Mothers on Latina Lesbian Families

The purpose of this study was to explore the attitudes and perceptions of 15 Latina mothers towards Latina lesbian parents. A semi-structured interview guide was used to collect the data. While most respondents reported that Latina lesbians' parenting children was normal, they were concerned that by being raised by the Latina lesbian mothers, the children would be confused about their own sexual preference and that they would be teased by their peers. Respondents also reported that children raised in a lesbian household without having a male figure might experience difficulties in adjustment. Respondents reported that religion, how they were raised, and the Latino culture impacted attitudes toward lesbians as parents. Implications of findings are discussed.     

Problem gambling among female prisoners: lifetime prevalence,help-seeking behaviour and association with incarceration

The widespread introduction of electronic gaming machines (EGMs) in Australia has seen problem gambling (PG) rates soar over the past decade. This has been particularly apparent among women, with presentations to gambling help services increasing fivefold, and 90% of them indicating EGMs as the problem. Prisoners represent a group containing the highest PG rate found in any population. Despite a sharp increase in PG among women and the well-established link between offenders and PG, little data exists concerning PG among female prisoners. This study examined lifetime prevalence of PG among female prisoners in South Australia. The Early Intervention Gambling Health Test was administered to 74 female prisoners. Previous help-seeking behaviour and association with incarceration were also examined. Sixty-four percent of respondents indicated PG with one in six reporting they were incarcerated due to PG-related offending. Problem gamblers whose incarceration was related to PG were more likely to indicate they had gambled to try and win money to repay debts than problem gamblers incarcerated for unrelated offending. Given high levels of PG and overall low rates of help-seeking, women’s prisons may provide an opportunity to engage this high-risk population with effective treatment.     

Research on Domestic Violence in the 1990s: Making Distinctions

This review of the family literature on domestic violence suggests that two broad themes of the 1990s provide the most promising directions for the future. The first is the importance of distinctions among types or contexts of violence. Some distinctions are central to the theoretical and practical understanding of the nature of partner violence, others provide important contexts for developing more sensitive and comprehensive theories, and others may simply force us to question our tendency to generalize carelessly from one context to another. Second, issues of control, although most visible in the feminist literature that focuses on men using violence to control “their” women, also arise in other contexts, calling for more general analyses of the interplay of violence, power, and control in relationships. In addition to these two general themes, our review covers literature on coping with violence, the effects on victims and their children, and the social effects of partner violence.

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