Women’s narratives of their lived experience when love and abuse co-exist in intimate partner relationships, provide insight into the ways that their action for safety is impacted by their beliefs about love, the micro-politics of these relationships, and the macro-politics of the structural inequalities that constrain these relationships. Women’s vulnerability to abuse is increased and their access to safety limited by a belief in love as a promise, the dominant romance narratives including the fairy tale and dark romance narratives, by the practice of love with the two core conditions that support abuse, and by the social structures and institutions of society that constrain these relationships. Understanding the impact of how love is practiced, the dominant narratives of love and abuse, and the ways that social structures and institutions constrain women when love and abuse co-exist will enhance women’s access to safety and social work services.

Women’s narratives of their lived experience when love and abuse co-exist in intimate partner relationships, provide insight into the ways that their action for safety is impacted by their beliefs about love, the micro-politics of these relationships, and the macro-politics of the structural inequalities that constrain these relationships. Women’s vulnerability to abuse is increased and their access to safety limited by a belief in love as a promise, the dominant romance narratives including the fairy tale and dark romance narratives, by the practice of love with the two core conditions that support abuse, and by the social structures and institutions of society that constrain these relationships. Understanding the impact of how love is practiced, the dominant narratives of love and abuse, and the ways that social structures and institutions constrain women when love and abuse co-exist will enhance women’s access to safety and social work services.

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Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka och ta reda på hur stödet i samhället ser ut när en man utsätts för våld av en kvinna i en nära relation, men även att utifrån det kunna bidra med kunskap kring ämnet “män som våldsoffer i en nära intim relation”. För att kunna besvara syftet och frågeställningarna använde vi oss av en kvalitativ ansats med ostrukturerade intervjuer som metod. Sju socialsekreterare som arbetar inom socialtjänsten med våld i nära relationer i kommuner i olika län i Sverige intervjuades. Informanternas svar jämfördes och analyserades sedan med hjälp av tidigare forskning inom området samt teorier inom kvinnors våld mot män i intima partnerrelationer. De slutsatser vi kunnat dra genom denna studie är att socialsekreterare inom socialtjänsten inte känner att det har likvärdiga hjälpinsatser att erbjuda män och att de saknar kunskap och verktyg för att kunna hjälpa män som blir eller har blivit utsatta för våld i en nära relation. / The purpose of this study is to investigate and find out how the support in society looks when a man is exposed to violence by a woman in intimate partner relationship, but also to be able to contribute knowledge about the topic “men as victims of violence in intimate partner relations”. In order to answer the purpose and the questions, we used a qualitative approach with unstructured interviews as a method. Seven social secretaries who work in social services with violence in close relationships in different parts of Sweden were interviewed. The informants' answers were compared and then analyzed with the help of previous research in the field as well as theories in women's violence against men in intimate partner relations. The conclusions we have been able to make through this study are that social secretaries in social services do not feel that they have equivalent help to offer men and that they lack knowledge and tools to be able to help men who are or have been exposed to violence in an intimate partner relationship.