Migration and attitudes towards domestic violence against women: a case study of Libyan migrants in the UK

Abstract

This article analyses attitudes to DVAW (Domestic Violence against Women) among Libyan migrants in the north of England; this is the first such study among Libyan migrants. One hundred seventy-five (175) respondents were interviewed in a questionnaire survey and 20 in semi-structured interviews. Migrant status has been identified as an important marker or precarity; gendered and racialized experiences deepen structural forms of insecurity. The research explored the impact of migration on participants' attitudes to DVAW. The concepts of gender regime and gender order, additionally, help to provide a framework for understanding of the multifaceted nature of (unequal) gender relations within Libyan Arab communities. The study found that gender and educational level were the most important variables associated with views about DVAW within the sample, whereas length of stay in the UK was not statistically associated with attitudes towards DVAW. The article explores reasons for relative continuity in beliefs about DVAW in the context insecurities of migration. Despite continuities, shifts and changes are taking place in many women's lives.

Attitudes towards gender roles and prevalence of intimate partner violence perpetrated against pregnant and postnatal women: Differences between women immigrants from conflict-affected countries and women born in Australia

“…The lack of change over time is particularly interesting as decreased endorsement of attitudes towards gender roles and IPV might be expected due to some level of acculturation to host-nation norms, and the existence of legal and material resources for women experiencing IPV [48]. This study's finding of no change in attitudes is consistent with a study of Libyan Arab immigrants to the United Kingdom (UK), in which length of stay in the UK was not correlated with attitudes towards IPV [38]. Similarly, Bosnian refugee women living in the United States had attitudes towards wife-beating that were no different from those of non-refugee Bosnian women living in Bosnia-Herzegovina, despite prolonged residency in the United States that averaged 8 years [25].…”

“…Traditional societies can endorse gendered roles and attitudes supportive of IPV more strongly, and this study adds to others suggesting that such culturally informed attitudes may be transferred to the country of settlement [25,[37][38][39]. That woman affected by IPV may paradoxically hold attitudes that support men's use of IPV may be explained by a lifetime experience of, and personal integration of, traditionally held gendered attitudes [4,37,40].…”

“…Studies with larger numbers of host-nation women would be needed to confirm the trend for higher aORs for IPV statistically. A limitation of this study is that it does not interview partners for their attitudes or identify characteristics of partners which could provide insight into protective or risk factors regarding perpetrating IPV, such as income differentials between a woman and her partner [36], alcohol use by partners [29], or attitudes of partners or other family members towards gender roles and IPV [13,[37][38][39].…”

“…Similarly, Bosnian refugee women living in the United States had attitudes towards wife-beating that were no different from those of non-refugee Bosnian women living in Bosnia-Herzegovina, despite prolonged residency in the United States that averaged 8 years [25]. An important policy and prevention consideration is to counter strongly held familial, cultural, and local social beliefs carried by women in conflict affected settlement communities about IPV and gender equality [25,[37][38][39]. There is, nevertheless, a need for cultural interpretation of attitudes that may appear to condone IPV.…”

Hijab No More: A Phenomenological Study

“…A study by El-Abani et al ( 2020 ) on Libyan immigrants in the UK suggests that Muslim women who fail to observe Islamic duties, such as wearing hijab, is regarded as bringing dishonor upon their households, and hence, family members (e.g., husbands) may exact punishments to such women, such as by beating them. According to Spitzer et al ( 2006 ), dissociation can occur as a result of traumatic experience.…”