Affilia

Using a mixed methods approach, the current study tested whether an intervention, the Gender By Us® Toolkit, decreased implicit gender bias compared to a generic conversation. Researchers randomly assigned participants in the study to the intervention (n = 11) or a generic conversation (n = 12). Participants completed pre-, post-, and 2-week follow-up surveys. Valid psychometric instruments and t tests were used to assess group differences on the following measures: (1) the Social Dominance Orientation Scale, (2) the Neosexism Scale, and (3) the Modern Sexism Scale. Quantitative results showed the intervention group scored significantly higher on the Modern Sexism Scale at posttest than the control group (p = .00), demonstrating increased acknowledgment of gender discrimination. Both groups also were asked open-ended questions related to the intervention and implicit gender bias. Qualitative results suggested that participants’ overall perception was that the intervention increased their awareness of implicit gender biases within themselves and their ability to identify biases in others, yet a comparatively low number of intervention participants retained the ability to identify an example of implicit gender bias at posttest. Findings may indicate the intervention had a small but positive effect on disrupting implicit gender bias.

Economic abuse (EA) comprises tactics of intimate partner violence (IPV) which undermine survivors’ economic self-sufficiency and self-efficacy. Evidence is strong that survivors of IPV who have accessed formal services have experienced a wide range of EA tactics. However, there remains a gap in our understanding of EA experiences for survivors who have not sought IPV services. Thus, this article presents the findings of qualitative interviews with a group of women attending community college (n = 20) who screened as having experienced intimate partner violence in their current or most recent relationship but who have never sought formal IPV services. Four themes emerged: (1) economic control, (2) economic exploitation, (3) economic manipulation, and (4) the economics of safety. The voices of these survivors highlight how EA is a critical issue for social workers in IPV service agencies, along with those who interact with IPV survivors in a range of other settings. Empowering social workers to identify the tactics and impacts of EA could lead interventions aimed at supporting survivors and begin undoing the economics of abuse.

As the nature of interpersonal communication has shifted with the widespread use of technology, so have the possibilities for abuse. Like face-to-face abuse, digital abuse can be stressful. Digital dating abuse is an emerging form of dating violence in the United States and is thought to have serious health effects on young people. The types of coping strategies used by victims have important implications for their overall health and well-being. Research suggests that the differing social positions of young women and young men will lead them to handle dating conflicts differently. Here, we assert that young women in digitally abusive relationships function as co-cultural group members in dominant societal structures. As such, co-cultural theory was employed to better understand how young adult women’s coping strategies function both adaptively and maladaptively. Specifically, 10 semistructured, in-depth interviews were conducted at a large mid-Atlantic university with young women who were previously in a digitally abusive heterosexual romantic relationship. Thematic analyses revealed three factors that influence the adaptive nature of their coping: time-based efficacy, normalization of abuse, and directness of communication. Overall, the women largely chose to enact maladaptive coping strategies when dealing with digital dating abuse.

Gender differences persist in the social work academy. We follow up and extend the work of Sakamoto, Anastas, McPhail, and Colarossi. A multistage probability sample of Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)-accredited programs yielded a 21% response rate (n = 535) by faculty to an electronic survey. A significant difference was found on base salary with men earning $76,337 and women earning $70,400. On many status variables, women and men have achieved parity; but, men are significantly more likely to be full professors. Gender differences were found on all seven climate subscales. CSWE must obtain robust data, at the individual level, on salary and other implicit curricular items.

Data from this article are derived from responses to questionnaires provided by 232 frontline workers and team leaders from a range of organizations across four Australian states who participated in The Invisible Practices Project: Engaging With Fathers Who Use Violence. This project was designed to explore the practices of workers who see perpetrators of domestic violence outside the relative safety of group-work programs. Thematic analysis was employed to examine the research question: What is the organizational context that contributes to, or constrains, the practices of frontline workers intervening with fathers who use violence? This article reports the ways that agencies increase the visibility of, and practices with, fathers who use violence. Increasing the visibility of fathers who use violence is posited as a crucial driver of policy and practice reform aligned with feminist goals of eliminating sexist institutional practices. It is argued that such practices render fathers who use violence invisible, reinforce patriarchal views of family roles and responsibilities, intensify the scrutiny on the mothering of women survivors, and compound the impact of domestic violence. This article documents emerging practices that seek to redress practices that support patriarchal views of family roles and responsibilities and has implications for understanding the capacity of social workers and other professionals to intervene with fathers who use violence.

Feminist praxis in conference planning and implementation may be a promising approach to addressing the complex issue of gender-based violence in an academic setting. This “In Brief” provides an overview of how the Michigan Meeting on Ending Gender-Based Violence planning committee at the University of Michigan embraced feminist praxis by foregrounding diversity in conference presenters and topics presented; structuring the conference’s formal and free spaces; creating an inclusive, trauma-informed space where participants and presenters felt welcome; and highlighting participant feedback. By design, this focus in conference planning and implementation enabled tensions to surface between community-based practitioners and university-based researchers, while encouraging the formation of trust. The interdisciplinary conference structure also promoted and made possible greater connections and opportunities for networking and brainstorming on potential future programs and projects. Overall, the outcomes of this conference were positive and show that engagement and participation of community-based practitioners in traditionally academic settings leads to more nuanced discussions necessary for effectively addressing and, hopefully, ending gender-based violence.