“A kind of warm agony that like, just sits there”: the impact of everyday violence on women

Aims: The research aimed to explore how everyday violence impacts women and critique discourses surrounding violence against women and girls. Background: A wealth of research explores the impact of violence against women and girls, but little examines the impact of everyday violence, despite its pervasiveness. Existing research either explores actioned violence, harassment or stalking. Moreover, the majority of research does not utilise a social justice framework or incorporate the voices of those who have suffered the harm. Methodology: An ontological critical realist and feminist relational epistemological stance underpinned this research. I adopted an intersectional feminist and survivor framework, reflexivity was important and women’s voices are centred. Consultation was sought from a domestic violence refuge. I conducted eight semi-structured interviews, supplemented by the use of visual creative methods with women providing photographs. Feminist Relational Discourse Analysis produced discursive themes and ‘I poems’ (Thompson et al., 2018). Findings: Five discursive themes highlight the pervasive and universal experience of everyday violence and how violence against women and girls is normalised and accepted in UK discourse. Themes emphasise the devastating impact on women’s mental health and sense of self. Additionally, the themes indicate the joy, pain and felt community that accompanies the ‘womanhood’ experience. Conclusion: The findings highlight several implications for clinical practice and policy for women. Aligning with the discursive themes, the research indicates the importance of gender-transformative care, critically challenging existing gender norms and societal discourses around violence. Everyday violence has a significant impact on women’s mental health and sense of self. In particular, womanhood was an important theme, highlighting the need for peer support and community care in services supporting women. In addition, the convergence of intersectionality and identity is highlighted as an area to explore in future research, particularly for queer people and the Global Majority.