Gender and domestic abuse victimisation among churchgoers in north west England: breaking the church’s gendered silence

Rebecca Barnes, Kristin Aune

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    6 Citations (Scopus)
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    Abstract

    Domestic abuse is often hidden in church contexts. Despite a body of North American research, it has rarely been researched in the UK. This article offers new empirical findings on the nature and extent of, and attitudes to, domestic abuse among churchgoers. The data are drawn from a cross-denominational survey of 438 churchgoers in rural north-west England. The majority of the survey respondents were female and aged over 60, providing important evidence of domestic abuse victimisation among this seldom-heard group. Using a broad measure of domestic abuse encompassing physical, emotional, sexual, financial and spiritual dimensions, the results revealed that one in four had experienced at least one abusive behaviour in their current intimate relationship. While headline figures for prevalence are similar for women and men, analysis revealed gender differences in four areas: number of abusive behaviours experienced, types of abuse, frequency of victimisation and impacts of abuse, with women experiencing the most frequent and high-impact abuse. Churchgoers’ comments on the church’s response to abuse reveals silence as a key theme, and the article attributes the church’s silence to gendered power relations in the wider church.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)271-288
    Number of pages18
    JournalJournal of Gender Based Violence
    Volume5
    Issue number2
    Early online date22 Mar 2021
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Jun 2021

    Bibliographical note

    This is a post-peer-review, pre-copy edited version of an article published in Journal of Gender Based Violence. The definitive publisher-authenticated version Barnes, R & Aune, K 2021, 'Gender and domestic abuse victimisation among churchgoers in north west England: breaking the church’s gendered silence', Journal of Gender Based Violence, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 271-288 is available online at: https://dx.doi.org/10.1332/239868021X16137365557039

    Copyright © and Moral Rights are retained by the author(s) and/ or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This item cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.

    Funder

    This work was supported by grants from the Allen Lane Foundation, the Andrews Charitable Trust, the Matthew 25:35 Trust and an anonymous charity.

    Keywords

    • Christianity
    • Churches
    • Domestic abuse
    • Domestic violence
    • Gender

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Gender Studies
    • Law

    Themes

    • Equality and Inclusion
    • Faith and Peaceful Relations
    • Peace and Conflict

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    • Christianity and domestic abuse

      Barnes, R. & Aune, K., Oct 2024, Research Handbook on Domestic Violence and Abuse. Burton, M., Bettinson, V., Richardson, K. & Speed, A. (eds.). 1 ed. Edward Elgar, p. 95-114 20 p.

      Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

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