Iqbal, Ruby and Murphy, David and Mecinska, Lula (2023) Intersectional disadvantages and abuse experienced by Pakistani women living in the UK : Pakistani women’s accounts of their journey in and out of domestic abuse. PhD thesis, Lancaster University.
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Abstract
This study provides a comprehensive review of journeys through and out of domestic abuse experienced by Pakistani women living in the UK. The study shows the importance of understanding how intersectional disadvantages based on gender, race, culture and ethnic minority status can lead to Pakistani women experiencing life as inhabitants of inequalities. Questioning the White feminist notion of a ‘global sisterhood’, this study is underpinned by postcolonial feminism and attempts to give a voice to those who have been silenced. Drawing upon the narratives and voices of fourteen Pakistani women, this study finds that Pakistani women are prone to abuse from an early age. Patriarchal control and gender segregation have shaped Pakistani women’s identities, making them vulnerable to harmful customary practices such as honour codes. At the same time, the white curriculum, as an educational institution, plays a fundamental role in reproducing white privilege. This makes schools, colleges, and universities places where racism and stereotypes against ethnic minority groups take root and affect the trajectories of minoritised groups in society. This study sheds light on the obstacles that Pakistani women face when trying to escape their abusive relationships, including factors that worsen their vulnerabilities. The social structure, it seems, harms ethnic minority groups, contributing towards structural intersecting forms and revealing multiple layers of oppression experienced by Pakistani women due to both their race and gender.