Gendered Class Conflict within Men’s Abusive Relationships with Women: Findings from a Qualtitative Study

• In Event: Narrative Accounts of Sexual and Intimate Partner Violence and Factors Associated with Civil Protection Orders

Abstract

This research explores the relationship between intimate violence and class inequality. Using a unique class-stratified sample of women who have been abused by their male partners, this study examines violence in the context of both class privilege and class disadvantage. In-depth interviews were conducted with 60 abused women from all social classes. This sample includes with women who are corporate executives; who are married to multimillionaires; who have Ph.D.s and other advanced degrees; who are working-class; and who are poor. Many different forms of intimate abuse were addressed in this research, including physical, sexual, psychological, and economic abuse. Most women reported feeling trapped in these relationships, regardless of their class circumstances.

This presentation will examine the dynamics of class within these abusive relationships—men’s economic domination and exploitation of women, as part of a broader pattern of coercive control. I will argue that this represents a gendered class struggle taking place within these relationships, a struggle that has economic consequences for women after separating from these men.

Author

• James Ptacek, Suffolk University