Voices that echo: Three narratives about abused women and how education levels impacted their lives

If there is a key to change and empowerment for women it will be through education (Tahir-Kheli, 2001, p.1).

For many years I was a victim of abuse. As a 60 year-old woman looking back at what made a difference, I see that formal education, and the furthering of it, gave me the power to address the abuse that affected me. I also developed a keen interest in studying the issues of women in abusive relationships, the reasons women remain in abusive situations, and how women managed to leave the abusive relationships. Although research shows there are many reasons for family violence, the consequences of low education levels for women, in family violence situations, have not been thoroughly examined in Canada.

Health Canada, (2002) suggested that women without higher formal education, in abusive relationships, have fewer choices than those with high formal education. Women with less education find it difficult to make empowering life decisions. This is not to suggest however, that educated women are not abused. Rather, I am interested in understanding if and how higher formal education levels make a difference in the choices women make before getting into, living in, and eventually leaving abusive relationships.