Patriarchy's Link to Intimate Partner Violence: Applications to Survivors’ Asylum Claims (Accepted Version)

Abstract

See also the final, published (open-access) version in Violence Against Women, available November 8, 2022: https://doi.org/10.1177/10778012221132299

Eligibility for asylum among survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) has recently been contested. We summarize social science evidence to show how survivors generally meet asylum criteria. Studies consistently show a relationship between patriarchal factors and IPV, thereby establishing a key asylum criterion that women are being persecuted because of their status as women. Empirical support is also provided for other asylum criteria: Patriarchal norms contribute to state actors’ unwillingness to protect survivors, and survivors’ “political opinions” are linked to an escalation of perpetrators’ violence. The findings have implications for policy reform and support of individual asylum-seekers.