Entendez mes cris : briser le code du silence au sujet de la violence conjugale chez les femmes noires dans la quarantaine et au-delà

There is a knowledge gap about how the intersections of gender, race, culture, age, income, social class, and other identities shape Black women’s experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV). In this qualitative study, we utilized an intersectional approach to examine how IPV is experienced and managed by racialized women, and in particular, our focus was to explore the IPV experiences of Black Nova Scotian women in and beyond midlife and their experiences of seeking support. Participant recruitment was predictably challenging, but we were able to collect in-depth interview data from a Black woman who identified as being in and beyond midlife and who had experienced IPV in the past and from three people who provided support to Black women in a paid capacity. An interpretive narrative approach was utilized to identify five dominant themes: descriptions of the experiences of IPV for Black women; strategies for coping with IPV; strategies in supporting Black women experiencing IPV; barriers in accessing support; and challenges in the delivery of support. The knowledge gained through this research provides important insights about the experiences, barriers faced, and how to address these challenges for Black women who experience IPV in and beyond midlife.Il y a un manque de connaissances au sujet de la façon dont les intersections du genre, de la race, de la culture, de l’âge, du revenu, de la classe sociale et d’autres identités façonnent les expériences de violence conjugale (VC) chez les femmes noires. Dans cette étude qualitative, nous avons utilisé une approche intersectionnelle pour examiner la façon dont la VC est vécue et gérée par les femmes racialisées, et en particulier, notre objectif était d’explorer les expériences de VC chez les femmes noires de la Nouvelle-Écosse, dans la quarantaine et au-delà, et sur leurs expériences de recherche de soutien. Le recrutement des participantes s’est avéré difficile, comme on s’y attendait, mais nous sommes parvenus à recueillir des données détaillées auprès d’une femme noire qui s’est identifiée comme étant dans la quarantaine ou au-delà et qui avait été victime de VC par le passé, ainsi qu’auprès de trois personnes qui ont apporté un soutien à titre rémunéré à des femmes noires. Nous avons utilisé une approche d’interprétation narrative pour cerner cinq thèmes dominants : descriptions des expériences de VC parmi les femmes noires; stratégies pour faire face à la VC; stratégies pour soutenir les femmes noires victimes de VC; obstacles à l’accès aux soutiens; et défis en matière de prestation des soutiens. Les connaissances acquises dans le cadre de cette recherche fournissent des indications importantes sur les expériences vécues, les obstacles rencontrés et la manière de relever ces défis pour les femmes noires autour de la quarantaine et au-delà qui sont victimes de VC

Hear My Cry: Breaking the Code of Silence around Intimate Partner Violence among Black Women in and beyond Midlife

There is a knowledge gap about how the intersections of gender, race, culture, age, income, social class, and other identities shape Black women’s experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV). In this qualitative study, we utilized an intersectional approach to examine how IPV is experienced and managed by racialized women, and in particular, our focus was to explore the IPV experiences of Black Nova Scotian women in and beyond midlife and their experiences of seeking support. Participant recruitment was predictably challenging, but we were able to collect in-depth interview data from a Black woman who identified as being in and beyond midlife and who had experienced IPV in the past and from three people who provided support to Black women in a paid capacity. An interpretive narrative approach was utilized to identify five dominant themes: descriptions of the experiences of IPV for Black women; strategies for coping with IPV; strategies in supporting Black women experiencing IPV; barriers in accessing support; and challenges in the delivery of support. The knowledge gained through this research provides important insights about the experiences, barriers faced, and how to address these challenges for Black women who experience IPV in and beyond midlife