EXTERNALLY FUNDED RESEARCH PROJECTS
Disruptive Bodies: Interrogating the Gender Binary in Family Violence Policy & Practice
Background
Despite the growing evidence base on LGBTQIA+ people’s experiences of domestic and family violence (DFV), there has been comparatively little focus on experiences of formal service provision, nor exploration of how differences in gender and sexuality might impact service experiences and support needs. Specifically, very few studies have focused explicitly on the experiences of non-binary people, an evidence gap that is compounded by the fact that most services are segregated by binary gender, resulting in a corresponding lack of practice-based evidence in this area.
Aim
This project aims to address this evidence gap by exploring the boundaries of “gender-based violence” as a conceptual frame, through describing the diversity of non-binary people’s experiences of gender and how they perceive gender in relation to their own experiences of DFV. Taking a Critical Participatory Action Research approach, this study further aims to create opportunities for non-binary people impacted by DFV and professionals working in the sector to bridge the gap of trust between them, through collaboratively interrogating the role of gender in DFV responses and identifying what changes are needed to facilitate greater inclusion.
To achieve these aims, this study seeks to understand:
1. How do non-binary people describe the role of gender in their experiences of family violence?
2. How do understandings of gender and personal gender identity inform the professional practice of people who provide family violence services?; and
3. What needs to change for family violence responses in Australia to be inclusive of non-binary people?
Methods
The study uses a participatory research approach involving in-depth interviews and co-creation workshops with people of non-binary genders impacted by DFV and practitioners and managers from organisations that provide DFV services. Firstly, depth interviews will be conducted with people of non-binary genders impacted by DFV, followed by a co-creation workshop with some of these research participants to analyse data together and develop the interview guide for professionals. Semi-structured interviews will then be conducted with professionals who provide DFV services, to answer the second and third research questions. Research participants from both target populations will be invited to participate in a co-analysis workshop of professionals interviews.