Beyond the glass and high walls: situating women's lived experiences and reflections on intimate partner violence in Sandton (South Africa)

Abstract

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) afflicts the lives of millions of women across the globe and in multiple settings notwithstanding differences in terms of race, ethnicity, class, locality, or nationality. Despite this distressing reality, there has been amongst scholars a tendency to focus largely on the poor and working class with scant attention paid to intimate partner violence amongst the wealthy and historically privileged. This paper draws on qualitative research conducted in Sandton to probe women’s experiences and understandings of intimate partner violence. To build substantial and meaningful vignettes, we embraced standpoint feminism as a guiding theory, thus prioritising and valuing women’s voices–their descriptions of their positionality, experiences, and responses to being violated or to facing the threat of violence. Corroborated in part by the contributions of non-governmental organisations in Johannesburg, this paper offers insights into the dynamics of the sociocultural context, the effects of foundational tutelage, and the strategic ways upper-middle-class women grapple with IPV. The women’s narratives reveal their efforts to privatise violence, mobilise available resources and seek ways to strengthen their resolve. Their awareness of their vulnerability leads to deliberately fashioning a brave façade, counteracting the prospect of isolation, and working around financial dependencies and reputation anxieties.