Culture and family violence
a critical review o f the literature
Keywords:
Marital violence, Culture, Prevalence, AttitudesAbstract
This paper presents a critical review of the published research on the cultural dimensions of marital violence. This review is based on a systematic research on the journals, books, and monographs published between 1985 e 2005. This literature review conduced to the identification of three main strategies of research on the cultural dimension of marital violence: anthropological studies, inter-ethnic studies and inter-cultural studies. The variability of the definitions of violence found is discussed, as well as the difficulties concerning the identification of objective prevalence data and real comparative studies. Despite these difficulties, results point to the wide dissemination of violence against women in all the societies studied, as well as to the existence of major social inequalities in the distribution of power and resources, along with hierarchical conceptions of family life. Violence against women does seem, however, to be less extensive in pacified countries and in those where the social status of women is higher
Downloads
References
ABNEY, V. (2002), “Cultural competency in the field of child maltreatment”, in J. Myers et al. (eds.), The APSAC handbook onchild maltreatm ent, Thousand Oaks, Sage, pp. 477-85.
AMOAKOHENE, M. (2004), “Violence against woman in Ghana: A look at womens perceptions and review of policy and social responses”. S ocial S cien ce & M edicine, 59: 2.373-85.
ANTONOPOULOU, C. (1999), “Domestic violence in Greece”. American Psychologist, 54: 62-5.
APAV. (s.d.), Relatório P enélope sobre violência dom éstica no Sul da Europa. Lisboa, APAV. ARAI, M. (1999), “Japan”, in K. Malley-Morrison (ed.), International persp ectives on fa m ily violence a n d abuse, Mahwah, LEA, pp. 283-99.
BARKER, G. & LOEWENSTEIN, I. (1997), “Where the boys are: attitudes related to masculinity, fatherhood, and violence toward women among low-income adolescent and young adult males in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil”. Youth & Society, 29: 166-96.
BOONZAIER, F. & DE LA REY, C. (2003), ‘“He’s a man, and I’m a woman’. Cultural constructions of masculinity and femininity in South African women’s narratives of violence”. Violence Against Women, 9: 1.003-29.
BREITING, V. B. et al. (1989), “Injuries due to deliberate violence in areas of Denmark. Violence against woman and children”. Forensic S cience International, 41: 285-94.
BROWNRIDGE, D. (2002), “Cultural variation in male partner violence against women”. Violence Against Women, 8: 87-115.
CAMPBELL, J. (1999), “Sanctions and sanctuary: Wife battering within cultural contexts”, in D. Counts, J. Brown & J. Campbell (eds.), To have a n d to hit. C ultural perspectives on w ife beating, Urbana, University of Illinois Press, pp. 261-85.
CHAWLA, S. (1999), “India”, in K. Malley-Morrison (ed.), In ternation al perspectives on fa m ily violen ce a n d abuse, Mahwah, LEA, pp. 265-79.
CORTINA, L. (2001), “Assessing sexual harassment among Latinas: development of an instrument”. Cultural D iversity a n d E thnic M inority Psychology, 7: 164-81.
COUNTS, D.; BROWN, J.; & CAMPBELL, J. (eds.) (1999), To h a ve a n d to hit. Cultural perspectives on w ife beating, Urbana, University of Illinois Press.
DALLOS, R.; & MCLAUGHLIN, E. (eds.) (1993), S ocial problem s a n d the fa m ily, London, Sage Publications.
DAWLA, A. (2000), “Reproductive rights of Egiptian woman: Issues for debate”. Reproductive H ealth M atters, 8: 45-54.
DIOP-SIDIBÉ, N.; CAMPBELL, J. & BECKER, S. (2006), “Domestic violence against women in Egypt - wife beating and health outcomes”. S ocial S cience & M edicine, 62 (5):
-77.
DONOVAN, E. (2004), “England”, in K. Malley-Morrison (ed.), In ternation al perspectives on family violen ce a n d abuse, Mahwah, LEA, pp. 33-50.
EL-KHOURY, M. et al. (2004), “Ethnic differences in battered women’s formal help-seeking strategies: a focus on health, mental health, and spirituality”. Cultural D iversity a n d Ethnic Minority Psychology, 10: 383-93.
ELLSBERG, M. et al. (1999), “Domestic violence and emotional distress among Nicaraguan woman”. American Psychologist, 54: 30-6.
FASTENKO, A. & TIMOFEEVA, I. (1999), “Russia”, in K. Malley-Morrison (ed.), International perspectives on fa m ily violence a n d abuse, Mahwah, LEA, pp. 111-29. FOURIE, R. (1999), “South Africa”, in K. Malley-Morrison (ed.), International perspectives
on fa m ily violen ce a n d abuse, Mahwah, LEA, pp. 245-61.
GAGE, A. (2005), “Women’s experience of intimate partner violence”. Social S cien ce & M edicine, 61: 343-64.
GILLUM, T. (2002), “Exploring the link between stereotypic images and intimate partner violence in the African American Community”. Violence Against Women, 8: 64-86.
HAJ-YAHIA, M. (1999), “Wife abuse and its psychological consequences as revealed by the first Palestinian national survey on violence against women”. Jo u rn a l o f Family Psychology, 13: 642-62.
HAJ-YAHIA, M. (2001), “The incidence of witnessing interparental violence and some of its psychological consequences among Arab adolescents”. Child Abuse & N eglect, 25 (7): 885-907.
HAJ-YAHIA, M. (2002), “The impact of wife abuse on marital relations as revealed by the second Palestinian national survey on violence against women”. Jou rn a l o f Family Psychology, 16,3: 273-285.
HALL, G.; SUE, S.; NARAG, D. & LILLY, R. (2000), “Culture-specific models of men’s sexual aggression: intra- and interpersonal determinants”. Cultural D iversity a n d Ethnic
Minority Psychology, 6: 252-67.
HALL, G. et al. (2005), “Ethnicity, culture, and sexual aggression: risk and protective factors”.
Jo u rn a l o f C onsulting a n d C linical Psychology, 73: 830-40.
HAUKSDOTTIR, A. & GESTSDOTTIR, S. (2004), “Iceland”, in K. Malley-Morrison (ed.), International perspectives on fa m ily violen ce a n d abuse, Mahwah, LEA, pp. 17-32.
HAUTZINGER, S. (2003), “Researching men’s violence - personal reflections on ethnographic data”. M en a n d M asculinities, 6: 93-106.
HEGLAND, M. (1999), “Wife abuse and the political system: a middle eastern case study”, in D. Counts, J. Brown & J. Campbell (eds.), To h a ve a n d to hit. Cultural perspectives on w ife beating, Urbana, University of Illinois Press, pp. 234-51.
HORNE, S. (1999), “Domestic violence in Russia”. American Psychologist, 54 (1): 55-61.
HOU, W.; WANG, H. & CHUNG, H. (2004), “Domestic violence against women in Taiwan: Their life-threatening situations, post-traumatic responses, and psycho-physiological symptoms”. International Jou rn a l o f N ursing Studies, 42 (6): 629-636.
JANG, M. & KIM, M. (1999), “Korea”, in K. Malley-Morrison (ed.), International p ersp ectives on fa m ily violence a n d abuse, Mahwah, LEA, pp. 301-19.
JEWKES, R., LEVIN, J. & PENN-KEKANA, L. (2002), “Risk factors for domestic violence: Findings from South African cross-sectional study”. Social Science & M edicine, 55: 1.603-17.
KASTIRIRANGAN, A.; KRISHNAN, S. & RIGER, S. (2004), “The impact of culture and minority status on womens experience of domestic violence”. Trauma, Violence & Abuse, 5: 318-32.
KIM, I. & ZANE, N. (2004), “Ethnic and cultural variations in anger regulation and attachment patterns among Korean American and European American male batterers”. Cultural Diversity a n d E thnic M inority Psychology, 10: 151-69.
KOZU, J. (1999), “Domestic violence in Japan”. A merican Psychologist, 54: 50-5.
KWIATKOWSKA, A. (1998), “Gender stereotypes and beliefs about family violence in Poland”, in R. Klein (Ed.), M ultidisciplinary perspectives on fa m ily violence, London, Routledge, pp. 129-52.
LEEMBRUGGEN-KALLBERG, E., RUPPRECHT, S. & CADMUS, D. (1999). “Germany”, in K. Malley-Morrison (ed.), International perspectives on fa mily violence and abuse, Mahwah, LEA, pp. 89-107.
LEVESQUE, R. (2001), Culture a n d fa m ily violence. Washington, APA.
LEVINSON, D. (1989), Family violence in cross-cultural perspective. Newbury Park, Sage. Liu, H. (1999), “Taiwan”, in K. Malley-Morrison (ed.), International perspectives on fa m ily violen ce a n d abuse, Mahwah, LEA, pp. 321-37.
MACHADO, C. (2005), “Violência nas famílias portuguesas. Um estudo representativo na região Norte”. Psychologica, 39: 173-94.
MACHADO, C. & DIAS, A. R. (2007). “Abordajes inter-culturales de la violência familiar: teoria y investigación”, in R. Arce, F. Farina, E. Alfaro, C. Civera & F. Tortosa (eds.), Psicologia jurídica , violência y víctim as, Diputació de València, Colección Psicologia y Ley n. 4, pp. 93-
MALLEY-MORRISON, K. & HINES, D. (2004), Family violen ce in a cu ltural perspective. Thousand Oaks, Sage.
MARKOWITZ, F. E. (2001), “Attitudes and family violence: linking intergenerational and cultural theories”. Jou rn a l o f Family Violence, 16: 205-18.
MATOS, M. (2000), Violência conjugal: o processo d e construção da identidade da m ulher.
Dissertação de mestrado. Universidade do Minho, Braga, Portugal.
MCWHIRTER, R (1999), “Domestic violence in Chile”. American Psychologist, 54: 37-40.
MEHROTRA, M. (1999), “The social construction of wife abuse - experiences of Asian women in the United States”. Violence Against Women, 5: 619-40.
MENJÍVAR, C. & SALCIDO, O. (2002), “Immigrant women and domestic violence — common experiences in different countries”. G ender & Society, 16: 898-920.
MILLER, B. (1999), “Wife beating in India: Variations on a theme”, in D. Counts, J. Brown & J. Campbell (eds.), To have a n d to hit. Cultural perspectives on w ife beating, Urbana, University of Illinois Press, pp. 203-15.
MORAES, C. & REICHENHEIM, M .(2002), “Domestic violence during pregnancy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil”. International Jo u rn a l ofG in ecology a n d Obstetrics, 79: 269-77.
NAYAK, M. et al. (2003), “Attitudes toward violence against women: a cross-nation study”. Sex Roles, 49: 333-42.
NAZNEEN, R. (1998), “Violence in Bangladesh”, in S. French, W. Teays & L. Purdy (eds.), Violence against wom en, Ithaca, Cornell University Press, pp. 77-91.
NOLIDO, N. (2004), “The Philippines”, in K. Malley-Morrison (ed.), International p ersp ectives on family violen ce a n d abuse, Mahwah, LEA, pp. 339-60.
OFEI-ABOAGYE, R. (1994), “Domestic violence in Ghana: Some initial questions”, in M. Fineman & R. M ykitiuk (eds.), The p u b lic nature o f p riva te violence, New York, Routledge, pp. 260-84.
PAGOVICH. O. (2004), “Israel”, in K. Malley-Morrison (ed.), International perspectives on family violen ce a n d abuse, Mahwah, LEA, pp. 187-204.
PALLITTO, C. & O’CAMPO, P. (2005), “Community level effects of gender inequality on intimate partner violence and unintended pregnancy in Colombia: Testing the feminist perspective”. Social S cience & M edicine, 60: 2.205-16.
RAO, V. (1997), “Wife-beating in rural South India: a qualitative and econometric analysis”. Social S cien ce & M edicine, 44: 1.169-80.
RUÍZ-PÉREZ, I. e t al. (2005), “Sociodemographic associations of physical, emotional, and sexual intimate partner violence in spanish woman”. Annals o f E pidem iology, 16 (5): 357-363.
SARAGA, E. (1996), “Dangerous places: the family as a site of crim e”, in J. Muncie & E. McLaughlin (eds.), The p roblem o f crim e, London, Sage, pp. 183-226.
STATHOPOULOU, G. (1999), “Greece”, in K. Malley-Morrison (ed.), International perspectives on fa m ily violen ce a n d abuse, Mahwah, LEA, pp. 131-49.
TANG, C., WONG, D. & CHEUNG, F. (2002), “Social construction of women as legitimate victims of violence in Chinese societies”. Violence Against Women, 8: 968-96.
UNFPA (FUNDO DAS NAÇÕES UNIDAS PARA A POPULAÇÃO). (2004), A situação da população m undial 2004. O consenso do Cairo dez anos depois: População, saúde reprodutiva e esforços m undiais para acabar com a pobreza. Nova York, UNFPA.
VANDELLO, J. & COHEN, D. (2003), “Male honor and female fidelity: implicit cultural
scripts that perpetuate domestic violence”. Jo u rn a l o f Personality a n d S ocial Psychology, 84: 997-1.010.
WALKER, L. (1999), “Psychology and domestic violence around the world”. A merican Psychologist, 54: 21-9.
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (2002). World report on violence a n d health. Geneva, WHO Publications.
YALÇINKAYA, A. (1999), “Turkey”, in K. Malley-Morrison (ed.), International perspectives on fa m ily violen ce a n d abuse, Mahwah, LEA, pp. 151-63.
YOSHIOKA, M.; DINOIA, J. & ULLAH, K. (2001), “Attitudes toward marital violence. An examination of four Asian communities”. Violence Against Women, 7: 900-26.
ZAKIROVA, V. (2005), “War against the family: Domestic violence and human rights in Russia - a view from the Bashkortostan Republic”. Current Sociology, 53: 75-91.
