Graduation - 2024 - December (Open Access)

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Browsing Graduation - 2024 - December (Open Access) by Author "Bester, Anita"

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    A NARRATIVE EXPLORATION OF WOMEN’S EXPERIENCES OF INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE IN THE HOME DURING THE COVID-19 LOCKDOWN IN THE WESTLAKE COMMUNITY, SOUTH AFRICA.
    (Stellenbosch University, 2024-12) Bester, Anita; van Schalkwyk, Samantha; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Psychology.
    This qualitative study utilised a decolonial feminist (the primary theoretical framework) and intersectional lens to explore marginalised Black, heterosexual women’s experiences of interpersonal violence (IPV) at the hands of their partners during the COVID-19 hard lockdown in the Westlake Community, South Africa. Research on the impact of COVID-19 and lockdown is still limited, providing a solid rationale for this study. There is a scarcity of research examining the effects of stringent lockdown measures on families, particularly concerning how these restrictions influence women's and children's experiences of violence in South Africa. This study acknowledges the need for more research that centres on the intersectional oppression of marginalised Black women, as their unique experiences of violence and identities shaped by IPV are nuanced, complex, and multi-layered. Qualitative, semi-structured narrative interviews were conducted with six women who were confined with their male abusers during the COVID-19 hard lockdown in their homes. Participants’ homes ranged from an open, outdoor field to an informal structure with access to basic amenities (i.e. electricity and running water). This study analysed the collected data by utilising a narrative thematic analysis approach. The findings produced rich insights into how power dynamics, gender, and cultural norms influenced and shaped marginalised Black women’s experience of violence before and during the lockdown within a South African context. Their narratives highlight that Black women living in poverty drew on gendered and cultural norms when constructing meaning around their experiences of violence and sense of self, located within a context that is characterised by a history of oppression, racism, and colonialism. Participants described the violence they experienced during the lockdown and compared it to the violence they experienced before the pandemic. Their narratives highlighted how the hard lockdown imposed economic hardships and exacerbated their pre-existing risk factors for violence. All the participants narrated experiences of violence before the hard lockdown, and most reported that the abuse increased in severity or frequency during the lockdown. Finally, the narratives illuminated how participants coped and resisted the violence during the lockdown. Findings revealed an agentic value when women narrated the various ways they resisted or coped with instances of IPV during the lockdown.