Professor Michaela Rogers is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work in the School of Sociological Studies, Politics and International Relations. Her research interests span gender and gender-based violence, marginalisation and inequalities in access to social care.
In this Q&A, Michaela spoke about her recent work around domestic abuse in Roma communities, as well as an upcoming project around support for women leaving prison.
From your recent research, are there any particular pieces which you feel have had a positive impact on women’s lives or the understanding of issues women face?
"I'm currently working on a project with an organisation set up by and for Roma communities, KaskoSan. This work focuses on the domestic abuse experiences of Roma women and we are adapting the original Duluth Power and Control wheel which is a representation of different types of male partner violence against women.
"Our adapted wheel references the ways in which extended family and community members can represent an additional layer of control and coercion for Roma women. This is important theoretical work which is translated into an adapted wheel which then can be used as an awareness-raising tool with Roma women who might not realise and recognise their experiences as abuse.
"It also fills a significant theoretical gap in terms of understanding domestic abuse in Roma communities and in the future we'll be working to share the adapted wheel with social care services to improve knowledge and build confidence in practice and intervention with Roma communities."
What do you hope to achieve in the future with your work?
"In a separate project, that is due to start on 1 April, I'll be leading research focusing on women's domestic abuse and social care needs when they leave prison. This again is such a neglected area of research and a marginalised population.
"We are going to recruit, train and support women with prison and/or domestic abuse experience to work with us as peer researchers. I hope this project will help to identity what women need when they leave prison, as data shows that more than 60% of women in prison have domestic abuse experiences, but an evidence review that I completed in 2023 shows that there is a postcode lottery in terms of who gets support when they leave prison.
"A robust plan to support women is vital in order to enable them to both avoid reoffending and further abusive relationships in the future."
What would your advice be to female academics starting out on their careers?
"Build your contacts, join research networks and centres, attend webinars and don't be afraid to talk about your research. This helps to establish your profile and let people know who you are and where your research expertise lies. If there is an internal research network or centre that is relevant to your research interests and discipline, join it, volunteer and try to embed yourself in its culture and activities."
