‘Like hands under a rock’ A feminist intersectional analysis of Muslim immigrant women’s experiences of domestic violence in Australia

Abstract

Violence against women has pervasive and traumatic effects on all women’s lives. For victims from immigrant backgrounds, the situation can often be more complex. While there is a growing literature that reflects this complexity, much remains unknown about the experiences of abused immigrant women in Australia from particular backgrounds. This lack of knowledge may contribute to the perpetuation of stereotypes or generalisations about these groups of women, their cultures and their religions. The purpose of the thesis is to contribute to knowledge about the specificities of Muslim immigrant women’s experiences in Australia. In particular, it aims to contribute to understandings of the intersections of gender, culture, religion and immigration, and the ways in which different social locations interact in Muslim immigrant women’s experiences of abuse. The thesis also aims to consider the implications of feminist intersectional perspectives for service provision, social work education and policy. The thesis involved a study of fourteen Muslim immigrant women living in Sydney and Newcastle who had current, recent or previous experiences of domestic violence. The study involved in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Participants, who were from different ethnic, national and linguistic backgrounds, provided detailed narratives of their lives and relationships, enabling an analysis of their perceptions of domestic violence, their experiences of domestic violence and their responses to domestic violence. The study found that the women’s accounts of domestic violence to some extent are similar to extant accounts of mainstream women. However, there were some differences. Firstly, immigration-related factors act as stressors to exacerbate the abuse. Secondly, the women in the study identified ‘culture’ as a key factor in their experiences of domestic violence. Despite being from different ethnic backgrounds, certain common cultural beliefs were identified as barriers to responding to domestic violence. However, culture was also described as a source of empowerment for the women in the study. Thirdly, the women explained that gender arrangements and gender role expectations are implicated: these were seen as exploited by abusive partners to control the participants. Fourthly, the women viewed spirituality and religion as a significant dimension that provided strength and resilience. Both were perceived by the women to be empowering rather than barriers. In the context of immigrant women, culture, religion and gender intersect, reinforce and regenerate each other. The thesis demonstrates the importance of attention to intersecting categories in producing meanings and experiences of domestic violence. In sum, the study attempts to go beyond a simple portrayal of the women as one-dimensional individuals but as women with a diverse range of backgrounds, histories, opinions and resources. By breaking their silence and sharing their sufferings, these women wished to contribute something that would bring about a change in the lives of all abused immigrant women in Australia.