332 | Precarious Work and the Struggle for Living Wages

THE HEALING JOURNEY: INTIMATE PARTNER ABUSE

AND ITS IMPLICATIONS IN THE LABOUR MARKET

by Linda DeRiviere. Winnipeg: Fernwood Publishing, co-published
by RESOLVE, 2014. $18.95 CAN., paper. ISBN: 978-1-55266-654-8. Pages:
1-199.

Reviewed by Julie Poon1

The Healing Journey: Intimate Partner Abuse and Its Implications in

the Labour Market seeks to provide insight into the challenges that
women confront when leaving an abusive partner within the labour
market as well as their everyday lives. Linda DeRiviere argues that
examining women’s paths to employment, income, and employment
training outcomes are crucial to understanding women’s experiences with
intimate partner abuse. The book draws upon two theoretical
perspectives: 1) human capital theory emphasizing education,
employment training, and work experience as needed for an individual to
progress in the workforce; and 2) segmented labour market theory focusing
on workplace characteristics consisting of ‘good’ secure, high paying
occupations with advancement opportunities versus ‘bad’ undervalued,
intermittent work with limited new skills. Considering the highly
competitive market and the financial and time commitment needed to
gain skills and experience, women may face obstacles in competing to earn
a living wage upon leaving the abuse. For DeRiviere, labour market and
welfare policies do little for women who have difficulties maintaining
employment in terms of getting them out of the secondary labour market.
This places women in ‘bad’ jobs and exacerbates their continued
dependence and chance of re-victimization.

Data for this study were part of a tri-provincial (Manitoba,
Saskatchewan, and Alberta) longitudinal, labour market study with 414
women interviewed in seven-wave, six-month intervals from 2006 to 2010.
Chapters 2, 3 and 4 provide empirical evidence to determine the
importance of abused women taking part in any employment, education
and training throughout their healing journey. Results indicated
participants were economically disadvantaged irrespective of their level of
education and employment. Trauma from abuse including childhood

1 Julie Poon is a PhD candidate in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at
the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Her research examines violence
against women with a focus on criminal justice policy responses toward women
who are victims and offenders of intimate partner violence. She can be reached at
jpoon@uoguelph.ca



Book Review: The Healing Journey | 333

victimization may have hindered participants’ educational and career
performance early on creating a lasting barrier to participating in labour
market opportunities. Many women had irregular employment histories
which may have hindered their attempts to secure a connection to the
labour market; 44.7% of the women reported that they had taken a leave
of absence, quit, or been fired due to abuse (42). Additional education
and/or training did not necessarily result in a corresponding growth in
earnings for these women. Women who increased their income did so by
working more hours within low paying, peripheral employment. Upon
leaving the abuse, women often became the primary provider, however,
their earnings within the secondary labour market fell short of securing a
family wage. Finally, stalking or harassment occurred frequently while
attending school or work and this was exacerbated for those who were
obliged to maintain child custody agreements with their abuser. Taken
together, these findings provide strong support for DeRiviere’s argument
that the impact of abuse places women at a disadvantage in the labour
market extending beyond the duration of the intimate relationship itself.

Chapter 5 discusses health-related causal factors to explain why
abused women experience difficulties participating in or progressing
within the labour market. The findings suggest that some low-income
women suffered from chronic physical and mental health concerns
including depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress, which resulted in
extended absences in the workforce. The author advocates for gradual
training and workforce entry for abused women, while recognizing the
need for welfare policies that promote extended assistance for those who
may never be able to participate. However, the author points out that
further inquiry is needed with respect to the impact of health conditions
on employed immigrant women.

In chapter 6, the readers are presented with the effects of the abuse
by comparing the women’s prior aspirations and the actual outcomes after
separation. Upon separating from their abuser, nearly half of the women
re-evaluated or abandoned their aspirations citing the need to be
pragmatic about their employment and training goals. Narrative analysis
provides a glimpse into the lived realities of mothers who share
testimonials relating to their abuser’s efforts to thwart their familial
aspirations by alienating them from their children. Chapter 7 provides an
estimate of the costs of intimate partner abuse. By drawing upon each
participant’s job classification, average hourly wages and weekly hours on
the job, and number of years until retirement at 65, DeRiviere calculates
that “the net present value of lifetime earnings losses totalled $37.2
million (2012 dollars) for participants who experienced health issues that



334 | Precarious Work and the Struggle for Living Wages

were attributed to abuse” and that this shortfall “translated into
earnings-related productivity losses in the economy” (152). This figure did
not account for any additional lifetime reliance on social welfare and social
housing, or any loss in revenue that the government would have generated
from taxable incomes.

The final chapter discusses labour market policies in terms the
similarities and differences among the three provinces. DeRiviere argues
that current and supposedly “gender-neutral” policy strategies that center
upon assisting individuals and families in becoming financially self-
sufficient are, in actuality, examples of workfare that do not adequately
address women’s realities. While a thorough list of the strategies is
presented to assist abused women in successfully participating in paid
work, it would have been beneficial highlight where priority should be
given considering the scale of this undertaking.

The Healing Journey is unique in its contribution as the first labour
market study to analyze their labour market outcomes of Canadian
women who have experienced intimate partner post separation. One key
criticism of this study is the limited use of narrative analysis; increased
use of narratives could have provide greater insight into the complex
realities that hindered the women’s ability to pursue their goals and this
would have been a valuable addition throughout the rest of the book. Also,
while the book makes an effort to explain statistical significance and
correlations between variables to the novice reader, it lacked a thorough
discussion regarding the methodology, interview guides, and data
analysis. Furthermore, the analysis requires greater recognition of the
experiences of visible minorities and immigrant women.

Overall, this book provides valuable insight to academics, activists
and policy makers advocating against violence against women in Canada.
The findings highlight the need for policy responses that begin from the
ground up in order to provide meaningful assistance to women whose
everyday lives are faced with poverty and violence. The book provides a
degree of insight into the labour market and everyday challenges faced by
women leaving abuse and the quantitative analysis is valuable in
highlighting patterns of earnings and occupational outcomes as well as
economic costs associated with intimate partner abuse.