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First published online November 6, 2014

Rape as an Economic Crime: The Impact of Sexual Violence on Survivors’ Employment and Economic Well-Being

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.

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Biographies

Rebecca M. Loya has a PhD in social policy, with a focus on asset building policies and poverty alleviation. She also has an MA in psychology. Her research primarily focuses on the gendered and racialized nature of economic inequalities in the United States. Her recent research examines the role of sexual violence in creating economic disadvantage and the protective effects of financial assets and social capital.

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Published In

Article first published online: November 6, 2014
Issue published: October 2015

Keywords

  1. sexual assault
  2. rape
  3. economic well-being
  4. sexual assault and employment
  5. recovery from sexual violence

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© The Author(s) 2014.
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PubMed: 25381269

Authors

Affiliations

Rebecca M. Loya
Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA
Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

Notes

Rebecca M. Loya, Institute on Assets and Social Policy, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA. Email: [email protected]

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