“You whore; you are so dirty, bitch”: the justification of and resistance to violence in the intimate relationships of female sex workers
- Authors: Bartlett, Elretha
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Women -- Violence against -- South Africa , Sex workers -- Violence against -- South Africa , Women, Black -- Abuse of -- South Africa , Women -- Violence against -- South Africa -- Case studies , Sex workers -- Violence against -- South Africa -- Case studies , Women, Black -- Abuse of -- South Africa -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/5082 , vital:20764
- Description: The objective of the study is to examine discourses of gender and dimensions of social difference implicated in female sex workers’ (FSWs) justifications of, and resistances to, intimate partner violence (IPV). Individual narrative interviews were conducted with FSWs (n=11) who were affiliated with the Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT). The participants were mostly women of colour (n=10), with a low socio-economic status, and between 31 and 51 years of age. Intersectionality and features of Foucauldian discourse analysis, as described by Parker (1992), informed the analysis of the interview data. In personal interviews, participants interrogated aspects of their own and their partners’ lives that they viewed as playing a significant role in the aetiology and experience of IPV. They drew on a discourse of violent black masculinity, developmental discourses, and patriarchal ideology to justify and resist their partners’ violent behaviour. They also positioned themselves and their ‘spoiled’ identities as playing a role in the experience of violence. Participants pointed to the construction of sex work as ‘dirty work’ and the role that this played in legitimising the violence that was directed at them by intimate partners. In relation to this positioning and its consequences in terms of justifications for violence, my analysis highlights occasions in which gender ideology is re-appropriated for the purpose of challenging the legitimacy of these interpretative frames. While gender politics is central to my analytic observations, my analysis demonstrates how intersections with race and class shape the specificities of FSWs experiences of IPV. In doing so, this study aims to broaden current insights into the phenomenon of IPV, as it does not only focus on gender discrimination, but on the complex interaction between various systems of oppression.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Bartlett, Elretha
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Women -- Violence against -- South Africa , Sex workers -- Violence against -- South Africa , Women, Black -- Abuse of -- South Africa , Women -- Violence against -- South Africa -- Case studies , Sex workers -- Violence against -- South Africa -- Case studies , Women, Black -- Abuse of -- South Africa -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/5082 , vital:20764
- Description: The objective of the study is to examine discourses of gender and dimensions of social difference implicated in female sex workers’ (FSWs) justifications of, and resistances to, intimate partner violence (IPV). Individual narrative interviews were conducted with FSWs (n=11) who were affiliated with the Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT). The participants were mostly women of colour (n=10), with a low socio-economic status, and between 31 and 51 years of age. Intersectionality and features of Foucauldian discourse analysis, as described by Parker (1992), informed the analysis of the interview data. In personal interviews, participants interrogated aspects of their own and their partners’ lives that they viewed as playing a significant role in the aetiology and experience of IPV. They drew on a discourse of violent black masculinity, developmental discourses, and patriarchal ideology to justify and resist their partners’ violent behaviour. They also positioned themselves and their ‘spoiled’ identities as playing a role in the experience of violence. Participants pointed to the construction of sex work as ‘dirty work’ and the role that this played in legitimising the violence that was directed at them by intimate partners. In relation to this positioning and its consequences in terms of justifications for violence, my analysis highlights occasions in which gender ideology is re-appropriated for the purpose of challenging the legitimacy of these interpretative frames. While gender politics is central to my analytic observations, my analysis demonstrates how intersections with race and class shape the specificities of FSWs experiences of IPV. In doing so, this study aims to broaden current insights into the phenomenon of IPV, as it does not only focus on gender discrimination, but on the complex interaction between various systems of oppression.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
“I just want to live”: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of separation abuse in South African heterosexual relationships
- Authors: Johnson, Samantha-Sue
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Phenomenological psychology , Family violence -- South Africa -- Case studies , Women -- Violence against -- South Africa -- Case studies , Intimate partner violence -- South Africa -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/164626 , vital:41149
- Description: A key strategy for ending IPV, would be to make it possible for potential victims to safely leave their abusers. However, the abuse may persist, often with devastating consequences. The current literature on separation a buse primarily makes use of quantitative research to explain the phenomenon as is visible in the large amounts of quantitative research that was cit ed throughout this research project. Therefore, the aim of this research was to qualitatively explore the lived experiences of South African women who had experienced separation a buse . The Power and Control Wheel, located within Feminis t Theory, was used as the theoretical framework as it offers an illustrative understanding of the types of abuse that exists within a relationship and was adjusted to suit post - separation a buse . The research was conducted in Makhanda (formerly known as Grah amstown ) , Eastern Cape with the assistance of the local Families South Africa (FAMSA) office. Four participants were interviewed using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach. IPA was chosen as it involves a detailed exploration of how p articipants make sense of their personal and social worlds as well as determining the meanings that participants relate to their personal experiences and events in their lives. Data was collected through semi - structured interviews which were conducted by t he researcher with the assistance of a translator for the participants who preferred to speak Isi - Xhosa. Each participant initially participated in a screening interview conducted by a FAMSA staff member before being interviewed to minimize harm that could be caused through speaking about their experience before they were ready. The interviews were analysed through the use of IPA techniques where themes were extracted from the data. Five superordinate themes emerged from the analysis, namely “types of abuse experienced post-separation”, “children and abusive relationships”, “drinking and substance SEPARATION ABUSE IN SOUTH AFRICA ii abuse”, “protection order” and “hope for the future”. The findings revealed the ways in which the abusers continued their abuse during the separation period, the participant’s experiences of separation abuse as well as the experiences they believed their children had throughout the process. Two of the participant’s also revealed they feared for their lives, which resulted in them applying for protection orders. Despite the years of abuse suffered at the hands of their ex -partners, all four participants remained hopeful that they could become independent enough to provide for their children and themselves. While there have been South African studies which look at stalking victimization, the IPV female mortality rate and power and powerlessness experienced by women leaving abusive relationships, there is currently no published study in South Africa that explicitly focuses on separation abuse in heterosexual relationships in South Africa. Therefore, it was be neficial to conduct this research as the need exists to conduct research that not only focuses on the homicide rates of females at the hands of their partners but also the types of separation abuse that exists.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Johnson, Samantha-Sue
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Phenomenological psychology , Family violence -- South Africa -- Case studies , Women -- Violence against -- South Africa -- Case studies , Intimate partner violence -- South Africa -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/164626 , vital:41149
- Description: A key strategy for ending IPV, would be to make it possible for potential victims to safely leave their abusers. However, the abuse may persist, often with devastating consequences. The current literature on separation a buse primarily makes use of quantitative research to explain the phenomenon as is visible in the large amounts of quantitative research that was cit ed throughout this research project. Therefore, the aim of this research was to qualitatively explore the lived experiences of South African women who had experienced separation a buse . The Power and Control Wheel, located within Feminis t Theory, was used as the theoretical framework as it offers an illustrative understanding of the types of abuse that exists within a relationship and was adjusted to suit post - separation a buse . The research was conducted in Makhanda (formerly known as Grah amstown ) , Eastern Cape with the assistance of the local Families South Africa (FAMSA) office. Four participants were interviewed using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach. IPA was chosen as it involves a detailed exploration of how p articipants make sense of their personal and social worlds as well as determining the meanings that participants relate to their personal experiences and events in their lives. Data was collected through semi - structured interviews which were conducted by t he researcher with the assistance of a translator for the participants who preferred to speak Isi - Xhosa. Each participant initially participated in a screening interview conducted by a FAMSA staff member before being interviewed to minimize harm that could be caused through speaking about their experience before they were ready. The interviews were analysed through the use of IPA techniques where themes were extracted from the data. Five superordinate themes emerged from the analysis, namely “types of abuse experienced post-separation”, “children and abusive relationships”, “drinking and substance SEPARATION ABUSE IN SOUTH AFRICA ii abuse”, “protection order” and “hope for the future”. The findings revealed the ways in which the abusers continued their abuse during the separation period, the participant’s experiences of separation abuse as well as the experiences they believed their children had throughout the process. Two of the participant’s also revealed they feared for their lives, which resulted in them applying for protection orders. Despite the years of abuse suffered at the hands of their ex -partners, all four participants remained hopeful that they could become independent enough to provide for their children and themselves. While there have been South African studies which look at stalking victimization, the IPV female mortality rate and power and powerlessness experienced by women leaving abusive relationships, there is currently no published study in South Africa that explicitly focuses on separation abuse in heterosexual relationships in South Africa. Therefore, it was be neficial to conduct this research as the need exists to conduct research that not only focuses on the homicide rates of females at the hands of their partners but also the types of separation abuse that exists.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
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