Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a problem that is present and pervasive globally and in
South Africa. In the South African context, IPV exists within a larger context of high levels
of interpersonal violence and violence against women. Understanding the context in which
IPV occurs from the perspective of survivors is important for informing effective
intervention and prevention programs to counteract its effects. This study explores the life
histories of South African women who have experienced IPV. Framed through the lens of
intersectionality, it gauges the broader context within which IPV emerges and is sustained,
and explores how experiences of IPV are shaped at the intersection of women’s identity
markers of race, class and gender. This study is one of a few studies that have used life
history methods with women to explore their life contexts and experiences of IPV. Purposive
sampling was used to recruit a sample of 11 women based in a Cape Town women’s shelter
for abused women and children. Two semi-structured qualitative life history interviews were
conducted with each participant. The interviews were transcribed and analysed through
thematic narrative analysis, where four noteworthy narrative themes emerged, namely An
unsteady and violent beginning, No place called home: A search for belonging and survival,
IPV: The unanticipated cost of love and belonging, and Normalisation of IPV experiences:
The effects of withdrawal from support. The findings and their relation to existing literature
as well as recommendations for future IPV research are discussed. One of the key findings of
the study was that the childhood context of the participants was the first point of identifying
intersectional oppression and marginalisation that may have shaped a vulnerability to the
women’s later experiences of IPV. Another key finding was recognising the value that
women place on love and belonging in the context of a difficult, violent and low
socioeconomic childhood background, and how this could have an impact on the
vulnerability of women to IPV. The use of a life history approach framed by intersectionality
thus demonstrated significant benefits in tracking the contextual experiences of women who
have experienced IPV. These benefits are of significance because they made it possible to
identify points of intervention and prevention of IPV amongst marginalised South African
women.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uct/oai:localhost:11427/31656 |
| Date | 22 April 2020 |
| Creators | Chikwira, Rene |
| Contributors | Boonzaier, Floretta, van Niekerk, Taryn |
| Publisher | Faculty of Humanities, Department of Psychology |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Master Thesis, Masters, MA |
| Format | application/pdf |
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