Profile
Paula Barata
Birth:
1972
Training Location(s):
PhD, University of Windsor (2004)
MA, University of Windsor (1999)
Hons. BA, University of British Columbia (1994)
Primary Affiliation(s):
University of Guelph, 2007–present
University Health Network, 2001–2004
Sexual assault Resistance Education [SARE] Board of Directors, 2016–present
Psychology’s Feminist Voices Oral History Interview:
Other Media:
Career Focus:
Sexual assault prevention and response education; intimate partner violence (IPV) awareness and intervention; housing and shelter services for survivors of domestic violence; women's health services and advocacy.
Biography
Born in France to a Portuguese family, Paula Cristina Barata spent her formative years in Canada, where she was largely unfamiliar with the term ‘feminism.’ However, her feminist consciousness first emerged through her resistance to gender norms within her household. As a child, Barata frequently questioned why her older brother received different treatment and pushed back against traditional expectations. Her mother supported this resistance, recognizing her daughter's aspirations beyond the domestic sphere.
Barata's academic journey began at the University of British Columbia, where she discovered her passion for psychology in the first year of her studies. "I just loved every single thing about it," she recalls, "from the methods to the neuroscience, to the cognitive stuff, to the personality, social, all of it." This enthusiasm sustained her through her honours bachelor's degree in psychology, which she completed in 1994. Her research focused on psychopathy, culminating in Barata's Honours thesis "Olfaction and Psychopathy" under Robert Hare's supervision. This work proved pivotal in shaping her future direction. As she worked with incarcerated individuals with high psychopathic traits and read victim impact statements, she became increasingly interested in survivors' experiences, particularly those of intimate partner violence (IPV).
Her feminist identity crystallized during the final year of her bachelor's degree and deepened throughout her graduate studies. Under the mentorship of Dr. Charlene Senn during her PhD and Dr. Donna Stewart during her post-doctoral fellowship, she developed a research focus that would define her career: the experiences of abused women within the criminal justice system. Barata completed her MA in Applied Social Psychology at the University of Windsor in 1999, followed by her PhD in 2004. Both degrees centered on intimate partner violence survivors, establishing a foundation for her lifelong commitment to this field.
Over the past two decades, Barata's research has expanded across multiple domains of women's health, wellbeing, safety, and gender-based violence. Her early fieldwork in women's shelters revealed a critical gap: women were being denied housing. This observation launched her research into housing instability for IPV survivors, fostering partnerships with women's advocacy groups throughout Ontario. Her collaboration with Dr. Donna Stewart, a psychiatry professor at the University Health Network, broadened her perspective on women's health issues. Through this partnership, she conducted research on human papillomavirus and other health concerns disproportionately affecting women, learning to view IPV not merely as a criminal justice issue but as a fundamental women's health concern.
Barata's commitment to feminist psychology extends well beyond academia through her extensive involvement with the Section on Women and Psychology (SWAP) of the Canadian Psychological Association. Her first SWAP presentation as a graduate student proved transformative: "The room was full and dynamic, and people were actually interested in my project on the videotaped [impact] statements, and to me that was amazing." This experience launched her long-term engagement with SWAP, progressing from newsletter editor to section chair to her current role as chair of the Status of Women Committee.
In addition to her work with SWAP, Barata has been involved with several community organizations. Through her work she has connected with organizations such as the Woman Abuse Council of Toronto (WomanAct), who have worked with her on issues such as economic abuse as well as housing availability. Although she tends to follow her own, or her students’, interests in her research, fostering community relationships has been a priority for her career. For Barata, fostering community partnerships “is something I’ve been strategically trying to push my career towards; I’m not really strategic, but that is one of the ways I’ve been strategic”. She notes how these partnerships have been “productive” and “way more fun” than traditional academic publishing processes.
While Barata occasionally regrets not having “a more strategic career”, she ultimately frames this lack of rigidity as a strength, noting: “I’ve had really great experiences by just being open to whatever falls my way and taking up those opportunities.” This openness extends to her mentorship approach, where she credits her students for introducing her to new concepts and bringing diverse experiences to her laboratory. "If you bring in people that have different experiences then they're more likely to want to go into this area from their own experience," she explains.
Looking to the future of feminist psychology, Barata expresses some worries. She notes that organizations like SWAP are not “retaining students” as they once did, and that higher education is becoming increasingly unaffordable for those students from low-income backgrounds. Barata advocates for prioritizing intersectionality and providing relatable role models to help students see themselves in feminist psychology. Barata has embraced intersectionality since her early work with Portuguese communities. She has been instrumental in advancing knowledge about IPV experiences and educating the public about sexual assault resistance across various contexts, including university campuses. Her laboratory actively cultivates space for emerging feminists to explore issues relevant to their lived experiences.
With researchers like Paula Barata leading the field, combining scholarly excellence with community engagement and inclusive mentorship, the future of feminist psychology remains promising despite its challenges.
by Aaron Peniston (2025)
To cite this article, see Credits
Selected Works
Barata, P.C. & Senn, C.Y. (2019). Interventions to reduce violence against women: The contribution of applied social psychology. In K. O’Doherty & D. Hodgetts (Eds.). The SAGE Handbook of Applied Social Psychology (pp. 60-84, chapter 4). Sage Publications.
Barata, P.C., & Stewart, D.E. (2010). Searching for housing as a battered woman: Does discrimination affect reported availability of a rental unit? Psychology of Women Quarterly, 34, 43-55.
Barata, P.C. (2007). Abused women’s perspectives on the criminal justice system’s response to domestic violence. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 31(2), 202-215.
Barata, P.C., Hunjan, S., & Leggatt, J. (2005). Ivory tower? Feminist women’s experiences of graduate school. Women’s Studies International Forum, 28(3/4), 232-246.
Crann, S. E., & Barata, P. C. (2021). “We can be oppressed but that does not mean we cannot fight oppression”: Narratives of resilience and advocacy from survivors of intimate partner violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(17-18), 8004-8026.
Docherty L, Zawitkowski S, Wilson B, Currie E. (2020). Hidden in the everyday: Financial abuse as a form of intimate partner violence in the Toronto area. WomenACT.
Jeffrey, N. K., Crann, S. E., Erb, S. R., & Barata, P. C. (2020). “Strangers are unsafe”: Institutionalized rape culture and the complexity of addressing university women’s safety concerns. In D. Crocker, J. Minaker, & A. Nelund (Eds.), Violence Interrupted: Confronting Sexual Violence on University Campuses (pp.141-187). McGill-Queen’s University Press.
Wilson, B., Zawitkowski, S., Weiss, S., Docherty, L., Barata, P. (2024). How the invisible becomes visible: The lived experience of economic abuse in heterosexual relationships. Violence Against Women, 30(15-16), 3799-3824.
Photo Gallery
Paula Barata
Birth:
1972
Training Location(s):
PhD, University of Windsor (2004)
MA, University of Windsor (1999)
Hons. BA, University of British Columbia (1994)
Primary Affiliation(s):
University of Guelph, 2007–present
University Health Network, 2001–2004
Sexual assault Resistance Education [SARE] Board of Directors, 2016–present
Psychology’s Feminist Voices Oral History Interview:
Other Media:
Career Focus:
Sexual assault prevention and response education; intimate partner violence (IPV) awareness and intervention; housing and shelter services for survivors of domestic violence; women's health services and advocacy.
Biography
Born in France to a Portuguese family, Paula Cristina Barata spent her formative years in Canada, where she was largely unfamiliar with the term ‘feminism.’ However, her feminist consciousness first emerged through her resistance to gender norms within her household. As a child, Barata frequently questioned why her older brother received different treatment and pushed back against traditional expectations. Her mother supported this resistance, recognizing her daughter's aspirations beyond the domestic sphere.
Barata's academic journey began at the University of British Columbia, where she discovered her passion for psychology in the first year of her studies. "I just loved every single thing about it," she recalls, "from the methods to the neuroscience, to the cognitive stuff, to the personality, social, all of it." This enthusiasm sustained her through her honours bachelor's degree in psychology, which she completed in 1994. Her research focused on psychopathy, culminating in Barata's Honours thesis "Olfaction and Psychopathy" under Robert Hare's supervision. This work proved pivotal in shaping her future direction. As she worked with incarcerated individuals with high psychopathic traits and read victim impact statements, she became increasingly interested in survivors' experiences, particularly those of intimate partner violence (IPV).
Her feminist identity crystallized during the final year of her bachelor's degree and deepened throughout her graduate studies. Under the mentorship of Dr. Charlene Senn during her PhD and Dr. Donna Stewart during her post-doctoral fellowship, she developed a research focus that would define her career: the experiences of abused women within the criminal justice system. Barata completed her MA in Applied Social Psychology at the University of Windsor in 1999, followed by her PhD in 2004. Both degrees centered on intimate partner violence survivors, establishing a foundation for her lifelong commitment to this field.
Over the past two decades, Barata's research has expanded across multiple domains of women's health, wellbeing, safety, and gender-based violence. Her early fieldwork in women's shelters revealed a critical gap: women were being denied housing. This observation launched her research into housing instability for IPV survivors, fostering partnerships with women's advocacy groups throughout Ontario. Her collaboration with Dr. Donna Stewart, a psychiatry professor at the University Health Network, broadened her perspective on women's health issues. Through this partnership, she conducted research on human papillomavirus and other health concerns disproportionately affecting women, learning to view IPV not merely as a criminal justice issue but as a fundamental women's health concern.
Barata's commitment to feminist psychology extends well beyond academia through her extensive involvement with the Section on Women and Psychology (SWAP) of the Canadian Psychological Association. Her first SWAP presentation as a graduate student proved transformative: "The room was full and dynamic, and people were actually interested in my project on the videotaped [impact] statements, and to me that was amazing." This experience launched her long-term engagement with SWAP, progressing from newsletter editor to section chair to her current role as chair of the Status of Women Committee.
In addition to her work with SWAP, Barata has been involved with several community organizations. Through her work she has connected with organizations such as the Woman Abuse Council of Toronto (WomanAct), who have worked with her on issues such as economic abuse as well as housing availability. Although she tends to follow her own, or her students’, interests in her research, fostering community relationships has been a priority for her career. For Barata, fostering community partnerships “is something I’ve been strategically trying to push my career towards; I’m not really strategic, but that is one of the ways I’ve been strategic”. She notes how these partnerships have been “productive” and “way more fun” than traditional academic publishing processes.
While Barata occasionally regrets not having “a more strategic career”, she ultimately frames this lack of rigidity as a strength, noting: “I’ve had really great experiences by just being open to whatever falls my way and taking up those opportunities.” This openness extends to her mentorship approach, where she credits her students for introducing her to new concepts and bringing diverse experiences to her laboratory. "If you bring in people that have different experiences then they're more likely to want to go into this area from their own experience," she explains.
Looking to the future of feminist psychology, Barata expresses some worries. She notes that organizations like SWAP are not “retaining students” as they once did, and that higher education is becoming increasingly unaffordable for those students from low-income backgrounds. Barata advocates for prioritizing intersectionality and providing relatable role models to help students see themselves in feminist psychology. Barata has embraced intersectionality since her early work with Portuguese communities. She has been instrumental in advancing knowledge about IPV experiences and educating the public about sexual assault resistance across various contexts, including university campuses. Her laboratory actively cultivates space for emerging feminists to explore issues relevant to their lived experiences.
With researchers like Paula Barata leading the field, combining scholarly excellence with community engagement and inclusive mentorship, the future of feminist psychology remains promising despite its challenges.
by Aaron Peniston (2025)
To cite this article, see Credits
Selected Works
Barata, P.C. & Senn, C.Y. (2019). Interventions to reduce violence against women: The contribution of applied social psychology. In K. O’Doherty & D. Hodgetts (Eds.). The SAGE Handbook of Applied Social Psychology (pp. 60-84, chapter 4). Sage Publications.
Barata, P.C., & Stewart, D.E. (2010). Searching for housing as a battered woman: Does discrimination affect reported availability of a rental unit? Psychology of Women Quarterly, 34, 43-55.
Barata, P.C. (2007). Abused women’s perspectives on the criminal justice system’s response to domestic violence. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 31(2), 202-215.
Barata, P.C., Hunjan, S., & Leggatt, J. (2005). Ivory tower? Feminist women’s experiences of graduate school. Women’s Studies International Forum, 28(3/4), 232-246.
Crann, S. E., & Barata, P. C. (2021). “We can be oppressed but that does not mean we cannot fight oppression”: Narratives of resilience and advocacy from survivors of intimate partner violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(17-18), 8004-8026.
Docherty L, Zawitkowski S, Wilson B, Currie E. (2020). Hidden in the everyday: Financial abuse as a form of intimate partner violence in the Toronto area. WomenACT.
Jeffrey, N. K., Crann, S. E., Erb, S. R., & Barata, P. C. (2020). “Strangers are unsafe”: Institutionalized rape culture and the complexity of addressing university women’s safety concerns. In D. Crocker, J. Minaker, & A. Nelund (Eds.), Violence Interrupted: Confronting Sexual Violence on University Campuses (pp.141-187). McGill-Queen’s University Press.
Wilson, B., Zawitkowski, S., Weiss, S., Docherty, L., Barata, P. (2024). How the invisible becomes visible: The lived experience of economic abuse in heterosexual relationships. Violence Against Women, 30(15-16), 3799-3824.