Recent or Imminent Separation and Intimate Violence Against Women

Abstract

The focus of this article is the link between recent or imminent separation and violence against female partners. First, various bodies of literature are reviewed to establish the fact that separation heightens the risk of violence. Second, the conceptual contributions of social learning and power and control theories are presented as they pertain to intimate violence against women. Third, an expanded version of the power-and-control model is used to underscore the violence proneness of separations, especially when the separations are initiated by women. To illustrate the expanded model, numerous Canadian examples are provided, drawn from interviews with divorced women, survivors of intimate violence, and news media reports. Finally, different strategies to break the cycle of violence, ranging from changing gendered attitudes and behavior to those that focus on incremental ways to reclaim one's freedom, are summarized.