Citation

Loya RM. J. Interpers. Violence 2015; 30(16): 2793-2813.

Affiliation

Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA Brown University, Providence, RI, USA beccaloya@brandeis.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0886260514554291

PMID

25381269

Abstract

This article examines how isolated instances of sexual violence affect adult female survivors' employment and economic well-being. This study draws on data from 27 in-depth, qualitative interviews with sexual assault survivors and rape crisis service providers. The findings suggest that sexual assault and the related trauma response can disrupt survivors' employment in several ways, including time off, diminished performance, job loss, and inability to work. By disrupting income or reducing earning power, all of these employment consequences have implications for survivors' economic well-being in the months or years following the assault. In addition, I argue that for many survivors, these employment consequences compound one another and ultimately shift survivors' long-term economic trajectories. By highlighting survivors' lived experiences of the financial aftermath of sexual assault, these findings help to illuminate the processes by which sexual violence decreases survivors' income over the life course. Understanding the financial effects of sexual violence can help researchers better understand and predict the recovery process, while helping practitioners to design more effective interventions for survivors.

Language: en