lynette j. menezes, ph.d. martha l. coulter, dr. p.h
DESCRIPTION
Does Rural Society Construct Marital Abuse Differently? Lived Experiences of Women in Central India. Lynette J. Menezes, Ph.D. Martha L. Coulter, Dr. P.H. Paper Presented at the 131 st Annual APHA meeting November 17, 2003. Presentation Outline. Literature review & theoretical framework - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Does Rural Society Construct Marital Abuse
Differently? Lived Experiences of Women in
Central India.
Lynette J. Menezes, Ph.D.Martha L. Coulter, Dr. P.H.
Paper Presented at the 131st Annual APHA meeting November 17, 2003
Presentation Outline
Literature review & theoretical
framework
Research questions
Methodology
Results
Interpretation & Discussion
Implications for research and practice
Indian Nation
Located in the Asian continent
Demographics and background population – 1.027 billion ethnically diverse low female to male ratio low rates of female literacy
Health care unavailable to many
Marital Abuse
Constructed as a private domestic matter
25% to 43% of women victimized in
lifetime
28% to 69% of rural women
5% to 22% report abuse during pregnancy
Dowry* related abuse is a serious issue
Public health implications
Social Constructionism
Central premise reality and the phenomena of life are socially
constructed (Berger & Luckmann, 1966)
Recognizes: multiple realities participants’ definitions of a problem rather
than experts
Applicable to most health problems
Research Questions
To understand the process that leads to Indian women defining marital abuse during pregnancy and at other times:a) How do women evaluate their own
experiences of abuse?b) How are women influenced by family
members’ perceptions of marital abuse?
c) What are the perceptions of community members regarding abuse and how do they influence women’s perception of marital abuse?
d) What are the different forms of abuse that women identify?
Research Design
Qualitative ethnographic design
Data collection tools unstructured individual interviews focus group interviews
Study site Saoner Block located in Maharashtra, India
Individual Interviews (N=43)
* Pregnant women older than 25 without children were difficult to identify Pregnant women older than 30 could not be identified ** One additional woman who had never been pregnant and is not included in this matrix was interviewed. (N= 43)
Pregnant Non-pregnant
Age Group Children No children Children
18-24 8 10 3
25-42* 5 1 15
Study Sample
Demographics of women respondents age: 18 – 42 years education: Three-fourths had less than 9 years three quarters had children majority Hindus, a few Muslims one-third employed most lived in one to two-room dwellings majority did not own a television
Analysis & Interpretation
Transcription interviews were transcribed verbatim data entered into Ethnograph 5.0
Analysis item level - coding pattern level constituents or structures
Interpretation re-reading of all patterns drawing conclusions
How do Rural Women Describe Abuse?
Most women described abuse as acts: which cause immense difficulties or worries which are wrong, bad, evil which are physical in nature
The term atyachaar/zulm (violence) used
by: educated women and a few Muslim women
No categorization of acts
In-law abuse was also identified
Explanations for Abuse
Husband’s problem drinking collectively perceived as causative
viewed as changing men’s behavior
Insufficient dowry
perceived by women, some providers and women
police
Personality traits of the husband
angry, moody, tense, suspicious
perceived by some participants from all groups
Explanations for Abuse - 2
Non-fulfillment of traditional roles cooking, caring for family, fertility, male heirs
Provocative behavior of the in-laws role as secondary aggressors
Women’s Responses to Abuse
Immediate responses argue back, keep quiet, visit natal family
Long-term responses staying in a relationship
lack of social support & resources, children family honor & belief in fate
leaving the relationship strong social support belief that husband will not change hope of future reunification
Construction of Abuse During Pregnancy
Perceptions of abuse during pregnancy a serious issue
an additional ‘tension’ for the victim
only alcoholics beat pregnant women
neglect of pregnant women
Community perceptions
more likely to intervene
family support easily available
Construction of Abuse at Other Times
Abuse viewed as a private domestic matterby community members
resulted in negative social support
likely to intervene if severe assault
Participants’ responses reflect similar sentiment
intervening equated to interfering
Interpretation
Lack of a popular terminology to describe marital abuse
women frame it as wife-beating
Rural women’s lexicon for abuse is different from experts and activists
women evaluate abuse based on personal experiences
lack opportunity for new social interactions findings raise methodological issues
Interpretation - 2
Explanations for abuse need to deflect blame from husband
stereotype that abusive behavior is normal for
alcoholics is dangerous for women
Marital abuse is dowry-related violence
lack of exposure to new social claims
Interpretation - 3
Non-fulfillment of traditional roles
similar to patriarchal views in other cultures
Responses to abuse
reduced social networks
adopt minimal strategies of resistance
belief in the permanency of marriage
Interpretation - 4
Abuse during pregnancy is more serious motherhood valued
constructing pregnant victim as “vulnerable”
Abuse as a domestic matter similar to early findings in the west and recent
findings in other cultures
preservation of family unit
Recommendations for Research & Practice
Implications for developing a screening tool
Explore how mothers-in-law define abuse
Explore men’s constructions
Dissemination of findings
One-stop center for legal and social
services
Community-based prevention programs
women’s support groups
Conclusions
Findings support theoretical framework
Unique native terminology
Implications for measurement of violence
Several collective explanations for abuse
Abuse as a private matter
implications for women’s responses
Address abuse during pregnancy
Need for prevention and intervention programs