Pandemic Implications on Socio-Economic Wellbeing of Women: An Examination of Lockdown Domestic Violence Experience

Understanding experiences of some social categories during the COVID-19 pandemic is paramount to forging a sound frontier for confronting future similar challenges. This study examines domestic violence (DV) experiences of women to understand its psychological and socioeconomic implications. Guided by Merleau-Ponty's Phenomenology of Perception and Heise's ecological theories, using mixed research design, and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), it was observed that most women experienced extreme forms of physical violence perpetuated by their spouses and intimate partners. Compared with 2019 experience physical violence in 2020 increased by 99%. Dwindling income amidst raising routine expenses was a source of disagreement which also exacerbates aggression. Signs of acute stress disorder and trauma resulting from psychological violence were rampant among the victims of DV. Despite the increase of DV, victims were not heard, hence the need for surveillance and encouragement for openness to avert similar problem in related situations.