The social sanctioning of partner abuse: perpetuating the message that partner abuse is unacceptable in New Zealand
Giles, Janice R.
The social sanctioning of partner abuse: perpetuating the message that partner abuse is unacceptable in New Zealand Giles, Janice; Adamson, Carole; Curreen, Helen - 2005 - 20 p. ; computer file : PDF format (133Kb) ; computer file : Microsoft Word format (130Kb) ; computer file : World Wide Web
Social Policy Journal of New Zealand, Nov 2005, 26: 97-116
The pace of cultural change is slow, and informal social sanctions that support the abuse of women by male partners continue to undermine the effectiveness of legislation and policy. The perceptions of New Zealand women in a grounded theory study identified 'blaming the victim' and inadequate enforcement of existing sanctions against abusers as social constraints to victim disclosure and recovery. From very early in the relationship women learn to fear punishment for disclosure when friends, community, and social service providers respond by blaming the woman for causing the abuse, or blaming her for staying in the relationship. Women's recovery from experiencing abuse by a male partner is a slow process and requires clarification of the attribution of blame, and resolution of the unfairness of their experience. Recovery can be impeded by social responses that blame women, or discount women's experiences of abuse. Processes of personal identity development are highly relevant to participants' experience and, despite constraints to maintaining separation, women who recover achieve considerable personal growth.--AUTHOR'S ABSTRACT
1172-4382
ABUSED WOMEN
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
RESEARCH
INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE
NEW ZEALAND
The social sanctioning of partner abuse: perpetuating the message that partner abuse is unacceptable in New Zealand Giles, Janice; Adamson, Carole; Curreen, Helen - 2005 - 20 p. ; computer file : PDF format (133Kb) ; computer file : Microsoft Word format (130Kb) ; computer file : World Wide Web
Social Policy Journal of New Zealand, Nov 2005, 26: 97-116
The pace of cultural change is slow, and informal social sanctions that support the abuse of women by male partners continue to undermine the effectiveness of legislation and policy. The perceptions of New Zealand women in a grounded theory study identified 'blaming the victim' and inadequate enforcement of existing sanctions against abusers as social constraints to victim disclosure and recovery. From very early in the relationship women learn to fear punishment for disclosure when friends, community, and social service providers respond by blaming the woman for causing the abuse, or blaming her for staying in the relationship. Women's recovery from experiencing abuse by a male partner is a slow process and requires clarification of the attribution of blame, and resolution of the unfairness of their experience. Recovery can be impeded by social responses that blame women, or discount women's experiences of abuse. Processes of personal identity development are highly relevant to participants' experience and, despite constraints to maintaining separation, women who recover achieve considerable personal growth.--AUTHOR'S ABSTRACT
1172-4382
ABUSED WOMEN
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
RESEARCH
INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE
NEW ZEALAND