Peckover, Susan (1998) Regulation and resistance : an analysis of the practices of health visitors and women experiencing domestic violence. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

The titular themes of "regulation" and "resistance" provide a conceptual and theoretical
framework for this research, which examines health visiting work in relation to women
experiencing domestic violence. These themes, which are threaded throughout the study,
arise from the feminist poststructuralist analysis underpinning this research. This draws
attention towards the issues of power and knowledge, which are key sites for this analysis
of the practices of health visitors and women experiencing domestic violence.
Understanding health visiting in terms of the social regulation of mothers enables the
analysis to focus upon the ambiguities and contradictions that arise from the double bind
of welfare and surveillance inherent within health visiting work with women. These
tensions are particularly visible in the context of domestic violence, where different
understandings about male violence and abuse against women are associated with
different practices. In particular, the feminist discourses about domestic violence that
underpin this research and which are represented as "resistance", have made little impact
upon the professional health visiting knowledge-base.
The study draws upon qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with 24 health
visitors, and 16 women with young children who have experienced domestic violence. It
examines the practices through which health visitors "get to know" about women's
experiences of domestic violence, and the extent that they were able to offer support or
protection. The women who participated in this research all faced a number of difficulties
in seeking help about domestic violence. These included dilemmas about disclosing their
experiences to health visitors, as well as inadequate responses once they had broken
their silence. The findings suggest that an urgent response, at the policy and practice
level, is required to enable health visitors to improve their practices with women
experiencing domestic violence.

Item Type:	Thesis or Dissertation (PhD)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Family violence, Visiting nurses, Maternal health services
Official Date:	December 1998
Dates:	Date Event December 1998 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of Social Policy and Social Work
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Humphreys, Catherine
Sponsors:	Economic and Social Research Council (Great Britain) (ESRC)
Extent:	273 leaves
Language:	eng

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