Vulnerability and Resiliency: Immigrant Women, Social Networks and Family Violence

Abstract

Immigrant women are vulnerable to intersecting structural inequalities of gender, ethnicity and class. This results in economic inequality, discrimination and barriers in accessing social services. Although no more likely to experience family violence than non-immigrant women in Canada, they are unlikely to seek formal help. Qualitative research with immigrant women (N=107) shows how they strategically harness social networks to support and care for one another and their families. Care is an important ethno-religious value grounded in collectivist identities and practices. Immigrant women depend on the institutions of the family, minority religious groups and cultural associations to build resiliency through care. Family violence interventions in Canada prioritise individualist values and while they may provide safety in the short-term, they inevitably increase immigrant women’s vulnerability. Recommendations are made for a culturally integrative approach to family violence interventions.