Intimate Partner Violence Among Women: An Invisible Problem
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is defined as any intentional act or omission aimed at harming or controlling a partner. While IPV has been widely studied, there is a significant lack of research on violence between women in romantic relationships. Why is that?
In a cis-hetero-patriarchal system, relationships between women are often ignored or seen as a threat to the status quo. As a result, violence in these relationships remains invisible, unrecognized in the collective mindset.
Types of Violence
In romantic or sexual relationships between women, the same forms of violence found in heterosexual couples can manifest:
- Psychological violence: Emotional manipulation, isolation, and control.
- Sexual violence: Coercion or unwanted sexual acts.
- Physical violence: Physical harm or threats.
- Economic violence: Financial control or dependency.
However, in addition to direct violence, there is symbolic and social violence that reinforces the invisibility of the issue. Factors such as lesbophobia, gender roles, and minority stress perpetuate these abusive dynamics and complicate the process of seeking help.
Is It Gender-Based Violence if Both Partners Are Women?
This question is debated. Some argue that it should be considered domestic violence, as it lacks the structural gender privilege typically associated with gender-based violence. Others maintain that within the cis-hetero-patriarchal system, misogyny still normalizes violence against women, even if the perpetrator is also a woman.
Need Help or Know Someone Who Does?
There are limited services specifically for victims of violence in relationships between women, but LGTBIQA+ organizations and women’s support centers can provide support.
To read more about this topic, including prevalence rates and specific dynamics of violence in relationships between women, visit our Patreon
| It is important to make non-normative identities and relationships visible (in a system that considers heterosexual relationships as the norm) so that the phenomena that affect them can be studied, and strategies for support and violence prevention can be developed. |
Author: Amanda Aranda Núñez
Date: October 28rd, 2024
REFERENCES
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Longobardi, C. & Badenes-Ribera, L. [Laura]. (2017). Intimate partner violence in same-sex relationships and the role of sexual minority stressors: A systemic review of the past 10 years. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 26, 2039-2049. 10.1007/s10826-017-0734-4
Rodríguez, L. M. [Luis Manuel], Rodríguez, Y. [Yolanda], Lameiras, M. [María] & Carrera, M. V. [María Victoria]. (2017). Violencia en parejas Gays, Lesbianas y Bisexuales: una revisión sistemática 2002-2012. Comunitania: International Journal of Social Work and Social Sciences, (13), 49-71. 10.5944/comunitania.13.3
Roselló, M. [Miguel], Cabruja, T. [Teresa] & Salvador, P. [Pablo]. (2019). ¿Feminización de la psicopatología o psicopatologización de lo femenino? Construcciones discursivas de cuerpos vulnerables. Althenea Digital, 19(2), e2249. https://doi.org/10.5565/rev/athenea.2249
Padilla, P. [Paulina]. (2015). La violencia no discrimina: relaciones lésbicas. Diversidad sexual, derechos sexuales y reproductivos, 1(1), 411-428.
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