This work has been submitted to ChesterRep – the University of Chester’s online research repository http://chesterrep.openrepository.com Author(s): June Jean Keeling Title: Using a feminist standpoint to explore women's disclosure of domestic violence and their interaction with statutory agencies Date: November 2011 Originally published as: University of Chester PhD thesis Example citation: Keeling, J. J. (2011). Using a feminist standpoint to explore women's disclosure of domestic violence and their interaction with statutory agencies. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Chester, United Kingdom. Version of item: Some copyright materials in Appendix removed Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10034/295566 Using a feminist standpoint to explore women’s disclosure of domestic violence and their interaction with statutory agencies. Thesis submitted in accordance with the requirements of the University of Chester for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by June Jean Keeling November 2011 1 Declaration by Candidate I hereby declare that this thesis is my own work and effort and that it is has not been submitted elsewhere for any award. Where other sources of information have been used, they have been acknowledged. Signature:……………………………………………………………. Date:…………………………………………………………………….. 2 Table of Contents Acknowledgments...................................................................................................................... 7 Chapter One: Introduction and Background .............................................................................. 9 1.1 Experiences and personal location ................................................................................... 9 1.2 Plan of the thesis ............................................................................................................ 12 1.3 Study objectives ............................................................................................................. 13 1.4 Structure of the thesis ..................................................................................................... 13 1.5 Background .................................................................................................................... 17 1.5.1 Subjugation: political and personal ......................................................................... 17 1.5.2 Violence within the context of the family ............................................................... 20 1.5.3 Feminism and domestic violence ............................................................................ 23 Chapter Two: Literature Review ............................................................................................. 27 2.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 27 2.2 Context of violence against women by an intimate partner ........................................... 27 2.2.1 Prevalence and risk ................................................................................................. 27 2.3 Intentionality .................................................................................................................. 31 2.4 Statutory responses to domestic violence ...................................................................... 34 2.4.1 The role of the law enforcement agency ................................................................. 35 2.4.2 The role of the social worker .................................................................................. 38 2.4.3 Statutory responsibilities of the health service ....................................................... 41 2.5 Impact of violence .......................................................................................................... 43 2.6 Disclosure issues ............................................................................................................ 52 2.7 Summary ........................................................................................................................ 54 Chapter Three: Research Methodology ................................................................................... 57 3.1 Structure of the chapter .................................................................................................. 57 3.2 Feminist research ........................................................................................................... 57 3.2.1 Standpoint feminism ............................................................................................... 62 3.3 Data collection methods ................................................................................................. 66 3.3.1 Measuring domestic violence ................................................................................. 66 3.3.2 Narrative method of inquiry .................................................................................... 74 3.3.3 Transcription ........................................................................................................... 77 3.3.4 Analysis of narratives ............................................................................................. 78 3.4 Research Design............................................................................................................. 80 3.5 Ethical considerations .................................................................................................... 81 3.5.1 Informed consent and confidentiality ..................................................................... 81 3.5.2 Validity and reliability ............................................................................................ 85 3 3.5.3 Misrepresentation and misinterpretation ................................................................. 86 3.5.4 Research governance issues .................................................................................... 87 3.5.5 Risk management .................................................................................................... 87 3.6 Research settings ............................................................................................................ 88 3.6.1 Sampling ................................................................................................................. 90 3.6.2 Negotiating access .................................................................................................. 91 3.6.3 Pilot study ............................................................................................................... 93 3.7 Data collection ............................................................................................................... 94 3.8 The process of analysis .................................................................................................. 98 3.8.1 Statistical Analysis .................................................................................................. 98 3.8.2 Narrative Analysis .................................................................................................. 99 3.9 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 108 Chapter Four: Findings .......................................................................................................... 109 4.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 109 4.2 Postnatal disclosure of domestic violence and comparisons with disclosure within the first trimester of pregnancy ................................................................................................ 110 4.3 Comparing the data ...................................................................................................... 111 4.3.1 Actual physical abuse within the last year ............................................................ 112 4.4 Discussion .................................................................................................................... 113 4.4.1 First trimester experiences .................................................................................... 115 4.4.2 Immediate postnatal period ................................................................................... 116 Chapter Five: Love hurts: Women’s Narratives on the Transition from Love to Violence .. 117 5.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 117 5.2 Beginning of the relationship ....................................................................................... 120 5.2.1 Feeling special (Tactic 1) ...................................................................................... 121 5.2.2 Feeling vulnerable (Tactic 2) ................................................................................ 123 5.2.3 Commitment (Tactic 3) ......................................................................................... 125 5.3 Emergence of violence ................................................................................................. 126 5.4 Compliant subjugation ................................................................................................. 129 5.4.1 Feeling threatened ................................................................................................. 130 5.4.2 Sexual domination ...............................................................................................