Three decades after intimate partner violence (IPV) or domestic violence was recognized as a human rights issue, it has reached epidemic status globally among all races, ethnicities, and socioeconomic classes, where one in three women experience IPV in their lifetime. There is a dearth of literature on positive spillover from women’s work on personal issues, especially on the role of paid work in the lives of middle-class women who experience IPV. In my dissertation, I explored the role of work in empowering middle-class women (in the United States) who experience IPV. This research was motivated by my interest in violence against women, prior work experience, and my life experiences. This qualitative study had compelling findings and argues that work plays a critical role in enabling women experiencing IPV to embark on the process of empowerment. Human resources (HR) practitioners can leverage the interdependent nature of positive spillover from work to personal issues and can implement interventions with far-reaching benefits. Organizations need to increasingly focus on enabling a work culture that fosters empowerment, which has powerful social implications. Future IPV interventions need to draw on the role of work, which allows women to experience success and support and maximize their strengths. This study was well received at the Academy of Management and American Association of Psychology and published in the journal Community, Work and Family with feedback that affirms my belief in the powerful role of work and organizational engagement in addressing larger social issues.

After my dissertation, I found myself engaged in another study—a heuristic inquiry to uncover the layers of my trauma of IPV. Heuristic inquiry is a process of reflective learning to uncover a phenomenon or theorizing that arises from a deeply personal experience, leading to self-discovery and empowering researchers and communities. While heuristic inquiry is common in the fields of psychology, other fields such as management have yet to embrace this methodology wholeheartedly, as it is believed to result in both personal and professional development. My study was published in The Qualitative Report and has been well received, with over 760 readers. It appeared as the feature article, with encouraging feedback from the editor: “Thank you for submitting such a great paper to The Qualitative Report.” I aim to build a stronger focus to bring such methodologies in other disciplines, especially management. My vision is that when more research based on personal experiences is encouraged, published in wide-ranging journals, and discussed at different conferences, we will begin to realize the value of research based on personal experiences and, most importantly, begin to see the narrowing of the gap between theory and practice.

1. ​​Kumar, S. & Casey, A. (2020). Work and intimate partner violence: powerful role of work in the empowerment process for middle-class women in abusive relationships, Community, Work & Family,23(1), 1-18. DOI: 10.1080/13668803.2017.1365693
2. Kumar, S. & Cavallaro, L. (2018). Researcher Self-Care in Emotionally Demanding Research: A Proposed Conceptual Framework. Qualitative Health Research. 28(4), 648 – 658. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732317746377
3. Kumar, S. (2017). My Dissertation Healed Me: A Retrospective Analysis Through Heuristic Inquiry. The Qualitative Report, 22(11), 3025-3038. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2017.3051