Don't Worry About Her; Intersectionality, and the Role of Systems and Structures in the Embodied Experiences of Young Women's Use of Violence

ABSTRACT Systems and structures designed to protect and support young people, specifically (in this paper) young women, are ironically the same systems that maintain gender disparity. Consequently, this has influenced the embodied identities of young women who experience and use violence. Such systemic and structural intersectionality has impacted upon and is enacted through generations of women, especially those who are more likely to be disproportionately impacted by micro and macro layers of discrimination due to age, race, religion, dis/ability and socioeconomic status. This paper draws on the narratives and experiences of 24 young women aged 13–18 who have experienced and used nonfatal violence. Their narratives chart the role of systemic oppression, community expectations, hierarchical group dynamics and identity formation in their experiences of violence. Findings centre on the experiences of young women, their words providing insight into motivators and drivers of female violence, which to date has been under‐researched and often poorly understood.