Stories of Backlash in Interviews With Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in Sweden

Abstract

Despite high gender equality ratings, Sweden shows a high prevalence of intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW). Suggested factors underlying this apparent paradox include backlash effects against women's empowerment. This study explores stories of backlash in interviews with 23 IPVAW survivors in Sweden. Thematic analysis identified categories of narrative segments referring to phenomena provoking violence; the victims’ resources, agency, breaking with gender norms and resistance, and the partner's feelings of subordination, while case-centered narrative analysis pointed to divergences between how these categories appear in the stories. The study underscores the complexity of links between gender (in)equality and IPVAW in Sweden.

Professional’s Views on the ‘Nordic Paradox’ in a Low Intimate Partner Violence Prevalence Country

“…This explanation highlights the potential gender role conflicts that arise when women demand more equality, particularly in domestic work. This is in accordance with previous research pointing to increased levels of conflict due to efforts towards gender equality (Grönlund & Halleröd, 2008) and framing IPVAW in relation to backlash and challenged norms of masculinity (Gottzén, 2014; Wemrell, 2023). Specifically, some participants suggest that intimate partner violence against women could be a price to pay for equality.…”

“…The last category, the Backlash effect against gender equality, comprised two subcategories: Social-feminist explanation and biological explanation. The social-feminist explanation suggests that the position of Nordic women in society, where they are empowered and not confined to traditional gender roles, may trigger men’s violent reactions to maintain their perceived power and control (Kosakowska-Berezecka et al, 2020; Wemrell, 2023). This explanation highlights the potential gender role conflicts that arise when women demand more equality, particularly in domestic work.…”

Women’s and Men’s Status: Revisiting the Relationship Between Gender Equality and Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in Europe

“…For instance, the Nordic countries are considered in a higher stage of “history” due to their higher levels of gender equality. However, Wemrell’s (2022) study of backlash shows that Sweden should not be portrayed as having reached an ultimate phase of development in terms of gender equality. Thus, our paper has limitations related to the fact that we needed to rely on cross-sectional data.…”

Aspects of Research Ethics in Studies Involving Women Who Are Victims of Domestic Violence

“…Therefore, the interviewer must take special care to ensure that questions are not asked in an invasive, overly intrusive or inappropriate manner to avoid the victim withdrawing from the interview or, worse, reenacting the memory with additional traumatic consequences, added to the initial ones (Pio & Singh, 2016). Any value judgment on the part of the interviewer should be avoided, as well as any negative comments regarding the aggressor or the people close to the victim (Fontes, 2004), because victims of domestic violence are often in positions of psychological vulnerability so intense that they have a high degree of suggestibility (Wemrell, 2023). The interviewer, due to the fact that they represent the scientific approach to the problem, could represent a person of authority for the victim, whose opinion can influence the research participant much more than a person who would not be part of such a vulnerable category of interviewees.…”