Practitioner perspectives of domestic abuse and women over 45
| DOI | 10.1177/1477370817749484 |
| Date | 01 July 2018 |
| Author | Richinda Taylor,Nikki L Carthy |
| Published date | 01 July 2018 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
https://doi.org/10.1177/1477370817749484
European Journal of Criminology
2018, Vol. 15(4) 503 –519
© The Author(s) 2018
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DOI: 10.1177/1477370817749484
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Practitioner perspectives of
domestic abuse and women
over 45
Nikki L Carthy
Teesside University, UK
Richinda Taylor
EVA Women’s Aid, UK
Abstract
Low reporting of domestic abuse among women 45 and older has resulted in the needs of those
women becoming forgotten among service development. We interviewed 18 practitioners to
explore their experiences of working with this client group. Descriptive thematic analysis identified
two core themes: an uncertain future as a barrier to seeking support, and a lack in knowledge
of domestic abuse and service provision. There is still a long way to go: (i) to break down social
barriers for middle-aged and older women to seeking support; and (ii) to acknowledge domestic
abuse among professionals and the public. The research draws on a practitioner voice alongside
reflections on one of the UK’s first safe houses aimed at supporting women 45 and over.
Keywords
Care provision, domestic abuse, intimate partner violence, older women, service delivery
Introduction
A sizeable body of research has explored problems of domestic abuse (DA) perpetrated
against women, with a focus on younger women of childbearing age (Sullivan and
Gullum, 2001), failing to consider the needs of middle-aged and older women. DA is
well documented as a hidden phenomenon (Richardson and Feder, 1996), with women
of all ages finding it difficult to disclose. Nevertheless, media campaigns portray mostly
Corresponding author:
Nikki L Carthy, School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Law, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, Tees
Valley, TS1 3BX, UK.
Email: n.carthy@tees.ac.uk
749484EUC0010.1177/1477370817749484European Journal of CriminologyCarthy and Taylor
research-article2018
Article
504 European Journal of Criminology 15(4)
images of young adults and children. This ageist perception contributes to barriers for
older victims disclosing and reporting maltreatment and accessing appropriate services,
leaving them vulnerable to dangerous environments (Safelives, 2016). In recent years,
research into DA and older women has had growing attention; however, the practitioners’
voice is lacking in the current literature (Vandsburger and Robinson, 2013). Practitioners
from both DA and older adult services such as the health care sector and other support
organizations are in a unique position to identify and treat DA. Little is known about the
effectiveness of how professionals respond to older adults and DA (Brossoie and Roberto,
2016). Therefore it is important to understand their personal and professional awareness
of this problem. Furthermore, practitioners have a wide range of experiences in their
working practice and are able to provide a breadth of knowledge to identify aspects of
good and bad practice that has utility in informing current and future service
provisions.
Domestic abuse involves a range of behavioural harms including physical, emotional,
sexual and financial, and is often perpetrated by (but not restricted to) current and past
intimate partners (Department of Health, 2000; McGarry et al., 2011). However, DA is a
societal issue that is not bound by age, or by gender, culture or race. The full extent of
this crime is still unknown owing to many incidents going under-reported, yet 1.2 million
incidents have been documented for females in the UK (Home Office, 2013) and general
estimates state that one in four UK women will experience DA at some point during their
lifetime. Walby and Allen (2004) emphasize that DA is higher than any other crime for
repeated victimization and often the abuse does not stop once relationships have ended.
Low prevalence rates of reported DA among older women has resulted in a forgotten
issue in UK as well as other countries’ service developments, such as the USA and
Canada (Seff et al., 2008; Straka and Montminy, 2006; Vinton, 2003; Wilke and Vinton,
2005), across Europe (De Donder and Verté, 2010; Luoma et al., 2011; Stockl et al.,
2012) and Asia (Yan and Chan, 2012).
Historically, violence against women and the provision of services such as refuge and
housing support and sexual assault referral centres were brought to notice in the 1970s.
In the UK, policy developments have included marital rape as a crime in the early 1990s,
the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act (2004), which supports legal protection
and assistance to victims of domestic violence (DV), and, more recently, with the coer-
cive or controlling behaviour legislation (2015). Policy responses have led to change and
development in a number of areas, including health care, social services and housing. As
a result of feminist campaigning, research and policy and legislative developments, pub-
lic attitudes have become less accepting of abuse within domestic and intimate relation-
ships. Despite these efforts, attention has focused on those statistically most likely to
become victims, leaving many older women unsupported (Blood, 2004; Sullivan and
Gullum, 2001), owing to refuge accommodation often lacking amenities for those with
physical or cognitive disabilities or ageing and older life health issues.
The differences in older and younger women’s experiences of DA have been dis-
cussed within the literature. Blood (2004) examined how duration and type of abuse are
different for older women. Often the abuse has spanned multiple generations, making the
behaviour more ingrained, accepted and normalized as partners age (Finfgeld-Connett,
2014). A number of personal and family issues are unique to older women, who may
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