Economic Empowerment of Impoverished IPV Survivors

Abstract

Best practices in advocating for economic empowerment of impoverished intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors require the comprehensive and holistic organization of program and service delivery systems. This article outlines the best practices literature that addresses IPV in the lives of impoverished women, as well as the literature that specifically examines the interventions to economically empower IPV survivors--whether impoverished or not. This article concludes with suggestions for policy makers on how to incorporate these best practices into the Violence Against Women Act and for practitioners to ensure a comprehensive approach to interventions for impoverished IPV survivors.

A Multi-Systems Life Course Perspective of Economic Abuse

“…While there is a paucity of scholarship on economic abuse, there has been an increase of publications on this topic since the early 2000's (see for example, Adams et al, 2008;Hahn & Postmus, 2014). For this paper, the definition of EA provided by Adams and colleagues (2008) is used: "economic abuse involves behaviors that control a woman's ability to acquire, use, and maintain economic resources, thus threatening her economic security and potential for self-sufficiency (p.…”

“…For example, we know that IPV is reported more among low-income women (Weaver, Sanders, Campbell & Schnabel, 2009); however, women from seemingly moderate-and higher-income levels can experience economic abuse by a partner (Outlaw, 2009). EA is as prevalent as physical, psychological and sexual abuse, and is used by an intimate partner to gain control of a woman's life through economic means (Adams et al, 2008;Hahn & Postmus, 2014). In a study comprised primarily of African American (48%) and White (45%) women (N=103) receiving IPV services, 99% reported experiencing some type of economic abuse (Adams et al, 2008).…”

“…Most of the current interventions involve the (1) use of the Power and Control Wheel (PCW; Christy-McMullin, 2011), (2) provision of financial literacy and empowerment education, with emphasis on the applicability (Hahn & Postmus, 2014), and (3) use of Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) developed specifically for survivors of EA (see Table 2 for a summary of recommendations for each intervention; Hahn & Postmus, 2014 …”

“…Her future (e.g., poverty in retirement) and those of her children (limited educational and employment as adults) and society (less money paid in taxes results in less public revenue) can be negatively impacted as well. Hahn and Postmus (2014) noted that women often feel ostracized from using social services because workers are untrained in how to work with women experiencing IPV. From a MSLC perspective, client-centered training regarding survivors of abuse is a necessity in state agencies like the Division of Children and Family Services that see IPV on the frontline most often.…”

“…Without economic empowerment (financial knowledge and skills), women suffering from EA may experience less economic self-efficacy and face more challenges in becoming financially self-sufficient (Adams et al, 2008). Given that economic dependence on their partner is one of the main reasons women remain in abusive relationships (Sanders, 2011), providing programs that increase women's financial literacy may increase economic self-efficacy (Hahn & Postmus, 2014).…”