People of Color with Disabilities: Intersectionality as a Framework for Analyzing Intimate Partner Violence in Social, Historical, and Political Contexts

Whānau hauā: Reframing disability from an Indigenous perspective

“…Disabled women, in particular those of colour, have higher rates of abuse than their counterparts and those without disabilities (Dowse, Frohmander, & Didi, 2016). This is often compounded by their abusers being professional support people whose role should be to protect and assist them (Cramer & Plummer, 2009). Bevan-Brown (2013) found that both Mäori and non-Mäori have exclusionary attitudes and practices that are embedded in their cultural practices, which can cause tensions for whänau hauä.…”

“…The concept of intersectionality can help explain the compounding nature of how multiple identities and inequities intersect and compound over time (Cramer & Plummer, 2009;Stienstra & Nyerere, 2016).Identities associated with race, class, gender, indigeneity and disability intersect as multiple forms of oppression (Gillborn, 2015). Gillborn argued that to gain a critical understanding of intersectionality, it is important to appreciate how race interacts with other forms of oppression at different times and in different circumstances.…”

Theories of Intimate Partner Violence

“…Women with disabilities' experiences of IPV are uniquely colored by their impaired mobility, dependence on others for personal care, and physical and social isolation. 25 The poverty experienced by persons of racial and ethnic minorities and persons with disabilities in the United States clearly complicates women's experiences, particularly in terms of unequal access to health and social resources and financial independence. 24 Recent efforts to integrate research findings and theoretical explanations from many disciplines hold promise in our search for theories that help us explain, predict, ameliorate, and ultimately prevent IPV.…”

“…Additional important critiques of existing theoretical frameworks have come from those who point out their questionable E34 ADVANCES IN NURSING SCIENCE/JULY-SEPTEMBER 2011 relevancy to persons of racial and ethnic minority groups and those exposed to other systems of oppression, such as heterosexism, classism, ageism, ableism, and religion/spirituality-based oppression. [23][24][25] Only recently have researchers and policy makers begun to explore the adequacy of theories of IPV when applied to persons of color, and even less so to persons with disabilities. Ethnicity shapes the experience and interpretation of IPV in myriad ways, including culturally-based family structures and subordinate roles for women.…”

“…The application of intersectionality to IPV involves: (1) examining the ways in which structural inequities enable and foster IPV, and (2) examining the influence of disadvantaged social identities on women's responses to IPV, which are inherently related to the responses of helping professionals and social agencies to women experiencing IPV (see Table 5). 25,[43][44][45][46][47][48] The first analysis addresses the question, "what is it about our society that makes IPV such a prevalent, persistent, and intractable problem?" The second analysis provides multiple lenses through which to consider women's responses to IPV; simply put, context is everything.…”