NCJ Number
180042
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 5 Issue: 12 Dated: December 1999 Pages: 1469-1492
Date Published
1999
Length
24 pages
Annotation
Information collected from interviews, focus group sessions, and participant observations in a clan village with 76 households and 304 people in a rural area of Anhui Province of southeastern China was used to study the social and personal dynamics that restrict the options of battered women in rural China.
Abstract
Battered women in many countries have used divorce as a way to end their abusive experiences. However, the government and social norms have strictly controlled divorce in China. Therefore, battered women in China seldom use divorce as a way out of an abusive relationship. The 10 interviewed women ranged in age from 25 to 46 years, had attended school for an average of 2.4 years, had been married an average of 9.7 years, and had experienced spouse abuse for an average of 5 years. Two women reported serious physical harm, five reported moderate harm, and three reported minor harm as a result of the abuse. None sought medical attention. Enduring their violent situations was the major theme that summarized the lives of these participants. Social, cultural, familial, and personal factors interacted to constitute their specific coping processes. Findings indicated that rural battered women in China do not seek divorce because they accept the fact of being beaten, adopt a positive attitude in life, are disadvantaged in resource control, and finding their coping strategies to be largely effective. China's patriarchal culture and social structures continue, the socialist social welfare system lacks special services for battered women, and the inadequacy of social support and services probably contributes to battered women's feelings that they must endure the violence and stay in the relationship. 63 references