The path to economic independence among survivors of intimate partner violence: A critical review of the literature and courses for action

Public policy encourages women, including survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV), to develop economic independence. However, a critical review of the literature in this field reveals that IPV survivors face unique obstacles in doing so: active and violent intervention by the perpetrator; damage to the survivor's health due to prolonged subjection to violence; and structural obstacles. A background of gendered violence, low socioeconomic status, and belonging to a marginalized ethnic or racial group, may further intersect with the direct and indirect influences of that violence, resulting in even greater obstacles to the development of economic independence. The article concludes with a discussion of how existing intervention programs for developing economic independence among survivors of IPV meet those obstacles, and a framework for intervention in this domain.