Bridging Borders with an Intersectional Approach: Intimate Partner Violence Experiences among Bisexual Women in Brazil and Italy

Abstract This study aimed at: identifying the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization among Brazilian and Italian Bisexual women, considering bi-specific expressions of violence; and investigating how intersectional positions are associated with IPV victimization risk. Participated in this quantitative study 2521 bisexual women. Descriptive and Multilevel Analysis of Individual Heterogeneity and Discriminatory Accuracy (MAIHDA) were employed to model interactions across country, race/ethnicity, income, and age strata, allowing for the examination of interlocking oppressions. This methodological approach avoided single-axis thinking, which is inconsistent with intersectionality core assumptions. Main results: 81.4% reported having experienced IPV in their lifetime, with prevalence rising 42,6% as examples and bi-specific expressions were listed. Most prevalent typologies: fetishization (64.1%), invalidation (59.46%), psychological (55.41%), and sexual violence (44.33%). Additive effects of country, race/ethnicity, wage, and age explained 86.5% of between-stratum IPV risk variance, and 13.5% remained unexplained, suggesting residual intersectional effects at stratum level in this sample. The highest risk-stratum was Brazilian bisexual women with lower income, part of a racially marginalized group, and within the 18 to 24 age range (87.5% predicted probability). The lowest-risk stratum was composed of Italian bisexual women who were not race/ethnic minority, with lower income, and ages above 25 years old (59.4% predicted probability). The results unveil the transnational nature of bi-misogyny, while also revealing Global North–South intersectional inequalities rooted in colonial exploitation. They underscore the need for co-produced interventions, blending Northern funding with Southern epistemologies, with the aim of promoting safer spaces for bisexual women of different intersectional identities.