Patriarchal Beliefs and Perceptions of Abuse among Women

Patriarchy is a widespread ideology which denotes to a set of ideas and beliefs that validate male dominance over women in society. Nevertheless, patriarchy is likely to differ through regions and cultures. Astonishingly, there are women who agreed with patriarchal social norms who are less likely to see spousal abuse as abuse. The patriarchal norms believer women are at greater risk for continued abuse and also they may delay active coping or help seeking. The way out of this problem is education. The education can encounter patriarchal beliefs in the community and encourage equity in gender relations.

The correlation between South Asian immigrant women’s patriarchal beliefs and their perceptions of spousal abuse is explored in this paper. Here, evidence shows that women’s acceptance of patriarchal norms predicts their own perception of what is spousal abuse. In the end, the results emphasize the crucial role of responsiveness and education about patriarchy in the empowerment of women.

Reference:

Ahmad, F., Riaz, S., Barata, P., & Stewart, D. E. (2004). Patriarchal beliefs and perceptions of abuse among South Asian immigrant women. Violence Against Women, 10(3), 262-282.

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1077801203256000