This thesis explores how the battered woman attachment to her abusive partner impacts on her interactions with the legal system and non-legal resources. This qualitative research project is based on in-depth interviews conducted with seven abused women who procured interdicts in terms of the Prevention of Family Violence Act 133 of 1993 to restrain their husbands from assaulting them. The research reviews the nature of abuse suffered by the participants, their psychological attachments to their husbands, and their patterns of help-seeking in relation to the law and non-legal resources. Two main theoretical frameworks, psychoanalysis and feminism inform this study. The study found that the participants retained unrealistic hopes that their husbands would reform and become loving, caring partners, and that they treated their husbands with care and sympathy despite their husbands’ often brutal behaviour towards them. The findings suggest that the women’s behaviour towards their husbands was the product of two reality distorting psychological defences, splitting and the moral defence which they used to preserve their attachments to their abusive partners. These defences intersected with rigid patriarchal prescriptions of femininity which dictate that women should be stoically caring towards their husbands, and should hold relationships together no matter what the cost to themselves. The participants interactions with the legal system and with non-legal sources of help were structured by their reliance on splitting and the moral defence, and by the dictates of patriarchal ideology. Whilst it is undoubtedly true that at one level the participants sought help to get protection from abuse, the study shows that their help-seeking was motivated by their conflicting desires to punish and reform their husbands. The participants sought help in ways which enabled them to strike a compromise between expressing their anger at their husbands, whilst simultaneously preserving their psychological attachments to them. The study concludes that the women’s interactions with the law and with other helping resource reflect their attempts to preserve their paradoxical attachments to their husbands, and to stabilise their own fragile sense of self and gender identity.

The study seeks to interrogate the gender constructions in the Daily Sun’s “Charter for a Man” campaign which ran from 7 November to 7 December 2007. It coincided with the 16 Days of Activism against gender violence and was designed to lobby support for this campaign and discourage men from physically abusing women. The “Charter for a Man” listed nine principles that signatories were to abide by. It included a section to be signed by men to be submitted to and collected by the Daily Sun. The campaign was constructed as an intervention into the issue of gender violence. Consequently, the 30 news stories, four editorial pieces and 11 letters to the editor that were published during the campaign period make up the textual data analysed in the study. The news stories consisted of testimonies from abused women and some women abusers. In addition, celebrity signatories were selected to endorse the campaign and encourage other men to follow suit. In the editorials, the campaign was consistently flagged as a nation building initiative which all men were supposed to support. The letters to the editor consisted of readers who either supported or rejected the campaign. The study takes place against the context of a patriarchal society characterised by high levels of violence. Given this scenario, the study is informed by a concern with gender justice and therefore considers whether such a campaign, ostensibly aimed at eradicating gender violence, has the potential of being transformative of gender inequalities. The study set out to establish the kinds of masculinities and femininities that were variously constituted in the campaign as well as the gender discourses that were privileged. It is informed by the theories of feminist poststructuralism and Foucault’s conceptualisation of discourse. As the campaign is the initiative of a tabloid newspaper, it is also considered within the framework of newspaper campaigns and arguments about tabloids and the public sphere. As text based research, the study employs critical discourse analysis as a qualitative procedure of textual analysis. It makes use of an eclectic approach to textual analysis that draws on linguistics, narrative and argumentation. The texts are analysed according to the categories of news texts contained which includes the Charter itself, signatory articles, testimonies, vox pops and letters to the editor. The overarching theme of nationhood projected in the editorials and other categories is also discussed as part of the analysis. The study concludes that the Daily Sun campaign might be a seemingly progressive action at first glance. However, it does not challenge the existing gender order but rather maintains and sustains patriarchal attitudes through the repeated representation of women as weak and in need of patronage and men as their protectors and providers. In some instances, women are constructed primarily as sexual beings as their physical attributes are emphasised, while men are constructed as working class citizens and rational beings. The study therefore proposes that the Daily Sun fails as an alternative public sphere that might make visible the concerns of women as a marginalised group in society. The campaign, it is argued, is self-serving in its promotion of the Daily Sun’s image as the “People’s Paper” rather than serious concerns about gender violence.

Gender-based violence has been recognized as a pressing mental health problem that is prevalent within South African society. Non-governmental organizations play a major role in addressing and highlighting the issue. These organizations make use of volunteers in order to assist in meeting their goals. The modernist perspective has been the dominant investigative mode when research into volunteers has been conducted. However, this study has been conducted with an emphasis on narrative. In its use of this constitutionalist and deconstructive perspective, it examines the identity of the research participants within the dominant social and cultural discourses that story their lives. This presents a major challenge to the modernist framework. In examining the life stories of the participants an emergent nature of identity is noted. Through the process of storying their lives and ascribing meaning to their experiences and understandings, the participants engaged in a process of constructing their identity. This research recognizes that identity is both multi-sited and multi-storied. The emphasis on personal agency enables the participants to restory their lives in the light of challenging prevailing discourses. It is in this process of challenge that they reauthor their lives and are in a position to change their own lives and the lives of others.

M.A. / The rationale behind the study of abused women should be a public and not an individual concern. Acknowledging anti considering abuse of women to be unacceptable is not enough. However, the public needs to be further educated as to its prevalence and seriousness. In the present study an attempt is made to redress some of these differences by studying women abuse in South Africa. The most important aim of the research is to understand the ways in which three abused women have managed to have the courage to relate and be honest about their experiences of abuse that they have suffered for many years. The research study will be based on the qualitative research method. The narrative approach will be integrated, whereby the three abused women will tell their different stories of abuse by their husbands. The researcher has found this study to be of utmost importance in contextualising the insight of women abuse although the sample of the three women does not represent all the abused women in South African context.

This study investigates the meaning that women attach to their experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV). It seeks to explore how women who have experienced violence in the context of an intimate relationship understand, or make sense of, that experience. It is important to investigate this in order to address some of the assumptions that often inform understandings of the phenomena. Moreover, such information can be used to inform the design and implementation of appropriate interventions. Nine women who had previously experienced violence within the context of an intimate heterosexual relationship participated in this study. For ethical reasons only women who had extricated themselves from those relationships were interviewed for this study. Participants’ accounts were therefore retrospective. The women who participated in this study constituted a homogenous group in terms of their level of education, geographic location and employment status. Data was collected through personal, face-to-face interviews which were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data in the form of text was analyzed following Willig’s (2001) criteria for Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Disclosure of the women’s experiences, how they made sense of their experiences, as well as the resources they identified as available to them are reported in the results and analysis chapter.

The health of pregnant women is a major concern to health care providers. This grounded theory study of 40 women examined the health of pregnant women and the special threat that poverty and violence posed to their capacity for health. Pregnant women experienced their health as an integrated part of their daily lives; that is, they reported that their health was affected by 'everybody and everything." Women's main concern during pregnancy was to have a healthy newborn and, to this end, they engaged in the process of creating a healthy pregnancy by engaging in health-enhancing behaviours. In this process, the woman focused primarily on ensuring the birth of a healthy baby. Three conditions were essential to a woman's capacity to create a healthy pregnancy: (1) the acceptance of the pregnancy, (2) adequate financial resources, and (3) supportive relationships (especially having a supportive partner). Pregnancies invariably carried with them some uncertainty, and this caused the 40 women in this study to experience a state of vulnerability which, in turn, triggered attempts to create healthy pregnancies. This led to a cycle of improving health: the more energy women had to carry out health-enhancing behaviours the better they felt physically and mentally; the more able they were to conduct their daily activities; and, consequently, the better their health. However, living within a context of poverty and/or violence increased pregnant women's vulnerability and decreased their capacity for creating a healthy pregnancy, leading to extreme stress and the experience of threat. Male violence threatened the women's ability to be connected to those who were important sources of emotional, financial, task-oriented, and knowledge-oriented support, and, thus jeopardized their ability to meet their fundamental needs. Furthermore, the lack of sufficient financial resources limited women's abilities to leave their abusive partners. In order to survive, women in these circumstances sometimes reverted to previous, often harmful, ways of coping in an attempt to reduce their high levels of stress. These coping strategies usually took the form of behaviours that required little energy, such as smoking, not eating properly, and consuming alcohol. Having financial support and a safe place to go were crucial with regard to enabling women to decide to leave abusive partners. Regaining control of their lives in this way allowed women to refocus their energy on health-enhancing behaviours. The women in this study showed incredible strength as they met the challenges imposed by poverty and abuse. They did not remain victims but took hold of their lives with courage and conviction. In order to promote the adoption of health-enhancing behaviours by childbearing women, health care providers must recognize poverty and violence as factors that significantly threaten women's capacity for health. Further to this, special efforts must be made to render culturally sensitive care to First Nations women (i.e., recognizing their cultural identity and heritage, their connection to nature, and the importance of the elders of their community). To this end, we must recognize the connections between racism, colonization, poverty, and violence. For until we have eradicated poverty, and the cycle of violence and degradation that is its legacy, we will not have succeeded in doing all we can to ensure the health and well being of our citizens. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Nursing, School of / Graduate

M.A. / Wife battering is one of the most pervasive forms of violence used against any individual in south Africa. The problem of battered women only came into the limelight in the early 1970's in the United States, its progression into public awareness corresponding with the growth of the women's movement. In South Africa, concern about wife battering started in the early 1980's. Inspired by the actions of overseas movements, South African feminists began to mobilise around violence against women. People Opposing Women Abuse opened the first shelter for battered women in Johannesburg in the eighties, followed by Rape crises in Cape Town. This study is anchored by a commitment to document battered women's experiences of marital violence in order that appropriate actions may be taken to ameliorate their situations. In undertaking this research, the intention is to learn from battered women about the context of their daily lives, exploring their educational and employment statuses, to describe the development and nature of their relationships with men who abuse them, establish the type of abuse they experience, and most importantly, to find out why they stay in such relationships. Data for this study is derived from questionnaires with fourteen abused women from two shelters (People Opposing Women Abuse, and NISSA Institute for Women Development).

Female college students -- Early parent-child relationship -- Dating violence -- Insecure mother-child or father-child attachments.

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka upplevelser hos kuratorer som arbetar med kvinnor utsatta för partnervåld kring vad det är som påverkar kvinnors val att stanna kvar hos en våldsam partner. En kvalitativ ansats med semistrukturerade intervjuer har genomförts. Deltagarna bestod av sex kuratorer som arbetar på uppdrag från socialtjänsten och på kvinnojourer i mellersta Sverige med våldsutsatta kvinnor. I studiens resultat hittades fyra huvudteman med tillhörande subteman. Det första huvudtemat var Rädsla och bestod av två subteman: rädsla för sin egen säkerhet och rädsla för barnens säkerhet. Det andra temat var Kontroll och bestod av två subteman: mannens kontroll och kvinnans kontroll. Det tredje temat bestod av Psykologiska dilemman som i sin tur bestod av fem subteman: skuld och skam, sympati och medlidande, underskattning av våld, kvinnan ej redo, och hopp om förbättring. Det sista huvudtemat var Praktiska svårigheter och bestod av subteman: gemensamma barn, kvinnans tillgång till hjälp, och ekonomi. Dessa teman förklarar faktorer till vad det är som påverkar kvinnors val att stanna kvar hos en våldsam partner. Teorin om normaliseringsprocessen har använts för att förklara potentiella faktorer till varför kvinnor stannar kvar hos en våldsam partner. / The aim of this study was to examine the experiences of counselors, who work with woman who have been victims of intimate partner violence, about why woman decide to stay with an abusive partner. A qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews was conducted. The participants consisted of six counselors working within the social services and at women´s shelters in central Sweden with abused women. Four main themes with associated subthemes were found in the study's result. The first main theme was Fear and consisted of two subthemes: fear for their own safety and fear for children's safety. The second theme was Control and consisted of two sub-themes: the man's control and the woman's control. The third theme was Psychological dilemmas, which in turn consisted of five subthemes: guilt and shame, sympathy and compassion, underestimation of violence, the woman not ready, and hope for improvement. The last main theme was Practical Difficulties and this the meconsisted of subthemes: common children, women's access to help, and finances. These themes explained factors that affected women's choices to remain with a violent partner. The theory of the normalization process has been used to explain potential factors as to why women remain with a violent partner.

Bakgrund: Kvinnor som utsätts för våld i nära relationer är idag ett globalt samhällsproblem. En uppskattning av World Health Organisation har påvisat att ungefär 35 procent av kvinnor i världen har upplevt fysisk, psykisk eller sexuellt våld av sin partner under sin livstid.  Syfte: Syftet var att beskriva sjuksköterskans erfarenheter av att vårda kvinnor som blivit utsatta för våld i nära relation.  Metod: En litteraturöversikt av kvalitativ design har genomförts där 13 vetenskapliga artiklar har granskats, analyserats och kategoriserats. Databaser CINAHL och Pubmed har använts för att söka artiklar mellan år 2009 till 2019.  Resultat: Det finns tydliga brister i vårdandet av våldsutsatta kvinnor och det förkommer känslomässig påverkan hos sjuksköterskor både under och efter mötet med våldsutsatta kvinnor. Resultatet visade även att samtalet har betydande roll för identifikation av våld då det förekommer utmaningar i att få kvinnor att avslöja våld i nära relationer.  Slutsats: Det finns ett ökat utbildningsbehov för sjuksköterskor gällande våld i nära relation. Litteraturöversikten visar att våld i nära relationer är ett ämne som bör uppmärksammas då det är ett samhällsproblem och sjukvården är en plats där sjuksköterskor kan fånga upp våldsutsatta kvinnor. / Background: Women who are exposed to intimate partner violence is today a global societal issue. An estimate by World Health Organisation has demonstrated that approximately 35 percent of women all over the world have experienced physical, psychological or sexual violence performed by their partner during their lifetime.  Aim: The aim was to describe nurses experiences of caring for women who have been exposed to intimate partner violence. Method:A qualitative litterature review was drafted where 13 scholarly articles were reviewed, analyzed and categorized. The databases CINAHL and PubMed were used to find articles between year 2009 – 2019. Result: There are result showed shortcomings in caring of abused women and nurses experience emotional impact both during and after meeting abused women. The result also showed that dialog have a significant role in identifying violence because there are challenges to get women to reveal intimate partner violence.  Conclusion: Nurses are in need of increased education regarding how to care for abused women. The litterature review show that intimate partner violence is a subject that should be noted because it is a societal issue and the health care is a place where nurses can identify these women.