In this master's thesis, the author explored the importance of experiencing femininity in women who have been involved in a violent relationship. In the theoretical part, she describes the definition of femininity, by defining both biological and social genders and presents the sexual identity of women and the general experience of femininity. Then she focuses on intimate partner violence, defines it, attempts to understand it and specifies its forms. She also describes the course of intimate partner violence, the way out of violence and the consequences of partner violence in women.
The empirical part presents a study involving 10 participants. The participants are classified as young or mature adults according to Greenspan, between the ages of 24 and 62, and have been a violent relationship. The author used a pre-prepared semi-structured interview that covered the following areas: experiencing yourself as a woman, experiencing intimate partner violence, and getting out of a violent partnership. The results showed that women with a violent relationship experience their femininity today significantly differently than they experienced the violence while still in the relationship. There is a strong desire for personal growth and change in the experience of femininity after leaving a violent partnership. At the same time, they are mainly faced with the desire for independence and setting personal boundaries, which have been completely destroyed in a violent partnership. It is noticeable that the experience itself influenced their
self-esteem, but it has now evolved into a source of strength. They are grateful for the experience itself and as a result are more willing to explore their experience, their femininity and how they perceive violence.
We can conclude that the violence a woman experiences in a relationship, which should be the safest space of every person's life, significantly affects the experience of herself and her femininity.
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