Have Times Really Changed? A Look at Domestic Violence Toward South Asian Women
Dipali Bharadwaj
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The University of Illinois Chicago
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Chicago, IL 60607
Domestic violence, although practically a world-wide phenomenon, is perpetuated and experienced very differently across cultures. This study explores the differences in domestic violence as perpetrated towards European American women versus South Asian women. Disparities are found in precipitating factors leading up to the violence, the experience of the victim, reasons for staying in the destructive relationship, as well as intervention techniques attempting to help those in the situation. Societal attitudes towards women as well gender role stereotyping, although present in both societies, seems to have a massive impact in South Asian culture. The subservient place of women in the hierarchical organization of society is embedded in the religious scriptures of Hinduism, through the character of the 'ideal wife' - Sita. The other dominant religion in South Asian culture is Islam, where, women's role in society is to hold the family together and maintain family integrity. The problem with a religious basis for oppression is that it exists not only in the minds of men but is also embedded in the women's belief system. As a result they believe that endurance of any amount of abuse and sacrifice required in order to maintain family unity is their duty. Some reasons for women to stay in abusive relationships are partially consistent across the two cultures: both blame themselves for the abuse, want to be there for their husbands, and feel the need to keep the family together. One particular factor that is particularly salient in the South Asian community that women of the mainstream culture do not struggle with is that of the stigma attached to divorce. The role that family, such as in-laws and parents play is also much more apparent in the South Asian culture.
Women of different ethnicities have their respective coping mechanisms to endure their circumstances, which again appear to overlap for the most part. Some examples of common coping mechanisms that women adopt are minimizing the abuse and denying that there is a problem. An important aspect of immigrant South Asian women in America undergoing battering is the looming threat of isolation and abandonment. They are helpless in a culture alien to them, and often are dependent on their husbands for visas or green cards. Laws have been passed to prevent these legal technicalities from binding women to abusive relationships. Intervention strategies for women in individualistic societies differ widely from those required when dealing with women from collectivist societies where women's identities get diffused into the institution of marriage. While European American women seem to benefit more from cognitive reframing and psychotherapy, South Asian women appear to require outreach programs and group sessions educating them on practical job skills. Information in this session is based on research as well as interviews with agencies that cater to domestic violence victims.
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