"Invandrarkvinnor" i vägskäl: : Deras handlingar och val i våldspräglade relationer från ett genuspsykologiskt perspektiv

Sammanfattning: Background: Men’s violence against immigrant women in the Swedish context is a universal issue affecting human rights and gender equality.Aim: The purpose of the study was to gain further knowledge about immigrant women who seek help for being abused by their men and to provide deeper insight into what influence they have to change their situation.Methods: The study was based on quantitative and qualitative data, namely a questionnaire providing descriptive statistics regarding immigrant women who sought help for being abused in close relationships, as well as in-depth interviews with nine selected respondents who had been abused by their men.Results: According to the questionnaires, the women’s situation was characterised by isolation from both their families and from Swedish society. Nearly half of the women did not have a permanent residence permit. The effects of living in segregated areas where immigrants predominate and having language difficulties were apparent. Some women stated they were subjected to discrimination and racism. Tactics of control used by the abuser, such as racist statements and threats of forced return, can be seen as ways of oppression specific to their residence in a foreign country. The in-depth interviews also indicated that although the women lacked the scope to decide for themselves or to co-decide within the limits of their relationship, they continuously sought options to change the situation. Conclusions: Leaving a relationship characterised by violence seems to be a difficult psychological and social change process. Many of the problems created as a result of specific conditions in the country of immigration amplify the effects of the abuse and make it difficult for these women to change their situation. The women must manage the man’s aggressiveness and dominance on one hand, and on the other hand manage their own position in Sweden as subordinated “others”.