Women in abusive relationships - Research Paper Example

? Women in abusive relationships Why Do Women Repeatedly Become Involved in Abusive or Destructive Relationships? Introduction Statistics indicate abusive relationships are extensively increasing evidence from the last decade. Researchers claim women are the most affected in abusive relationships because in many instances that entail partner abuse, men tend to be more abusive to women than women to men (Bracken, 2008). Abuse in relationships is of varied forms like, sexual assault, physical violence as well as emotional torment. However, there have been intense debates as to why abusive relationships still exist and why others find it hard to give up on their abusive partners. In many instances, studies show women find it hard to put off abusive relationships where they find themselves as victims (Bracken, 2008). Therefore, they make hard decisions to persevere and suffer in silence. The latter has adverse effects to women who find themselves as victims as well as people around her. For instance, her concentration at work is lost and at times, her children may suffer from the emotional setbacks due to their mother. However, women usually have diverse ways of reacting to abusive relationships (Evans, 2010). Among them include various factors which they safeguard if they choose to be out of those relationships like children or desperation (Stark, 2007). However, interventions of such organizations and programs have not been enough to curb the menace because the statistics are still high. The main question that comes from these results is what is the main solution to curb the vice? Thesis: Various factors lead to intimate partner violence in the world where the female gender usually comprise majority of the victims in those relationships despite preferring to stay in them for varied reasons. As various institutions, programs and organizations to fight the menace continue to increase, the number of women in abusive relationships is significantly quite evident. Hence, prompting the unlikely question that pops up concerning why women involve themselves in abusive relationships (Hatcher, 2013). One would ask what attracts women to relationships where they experience assault. In many circumstances, women find themselves at the receiving end of an abusive spouse mainly because they lack proper financial support on their part. In most cases, women think usually thing of good lifestyle, which they will enjoy and how they stand to benefit from the marriage (Hatcher, 2013). Because of the latter idea, they involve themselves into abusive marriages blindly not knowing of potential repercussions of their actions. Additionally, researchers cite that a spouse who have become victims or witnessed abuse in their family origin, in many instances learn from the menace and become violent to their spouses.(Stark, 2007). However, the theory is also not widely supported because it does not explain how victims of child abuse or partner violence amongst parent end up being violent against their spouses in future. Research done in various countries indicate that there is a persistent increased risk of intimate partner violence among women who have been on the receiving end of child abuse or witnessed abusive relationships among their parents. Scientists explain the latter through PTSD symptoms, which encompasses of childhood trauma (Evans, 2010). Childhood trauma often occurs in the wake of an abusive relationship and often combined with depression, which may make it more difficult to escape from an abusive relationship once it occurs (Bracken, 2008). Scientists also show that PTSD or depression may lead to decrease in the ability for someone to recognize and respond to signals of danger. The mental distortion in most cases puts these women at risk of future victimization thus decreasing their chances of escaping after being with an abusive partner. This implies women who are victims of childhood trauma may not only be targets of partner abuse by spouses but also tend to be more likely to remain in the relationship and suffer in silence. Besides, in the topic of women in abusive relationships on intimate partner, the violence in the latter case is not necessarily physical abuse. Intimate partner violence encompasses a variety of acts like verbal, emotional or financial abuse (Hatcher, 2013). For instance, a husband might limit the access to financial accounts of his wife, require the spouse to account for every coin she spends or make major financial decisions without consulting the spouse (Hatcher, 2013). Physical abuse can occur to any person irrespective of education level, socio economic background or religious affiliations. Intimate partner violence is a vice that is taking place worldwide and involves people of all cultures traditions as well as religious beliefs. Intimate partner violence, which can otherwise be abuse in relationships, is now a reported form of violence by spouses whereby statistics show that as many as 4 million women suffer from abuse in relationships (Bracken, 2008). Statistics also indicate that most couples that encompass intimate partner violence have women as the victims. For instance, according to Bracken, one in every 3 women are victims of intimate partner violence (Bracken 2008).In addition, statistic also indicate how the vice is spreading with researchers even being in a position to prove how many women will be victims of abusive relationships in future. A study done on a number of united states women population indicate 1 in every 4 women will face intimate partner violence either via sexual assault, emotional torture or physical violence (Bracken, 2008). In Asia, abuse in relationships is also relatively high with statistics indicating 13% in Japan to 61% in Peru and all these women facing violence, 76% of all violence against women is from her partner. Besides, immigrants in foreign countries are the most vulnerable part of the population in context to abusive relationships. Bracken claims that a study in United States also profess that 48% of Latina women report an escalation in partner violence once they migrate to united states in a bid to search for greener pastures. In addition, 60% of immigrant Korean women in US had been physically abused by their spouses (Bracken, 2008). However, various investigations have been set up to investigate the increase in the number of immigrant women being victims of intimate partner violence. Results indicate that the high rate of intimate partner violence among foreign-born women is generally about how the culture of immigrant women allows acceptance of the abuse (Bracken, 2008). In addition, existence of language barriers and lack of essential information regarding protection as well as lack of access to proper protection facilitates existence of abusive relationships among immigrant women. Besides, researchers prove that 21.7% of abused women show that fear is the greatest factor that makes them not to cease abusive relationships. Besides, many women prefer to suffer in silence and not reveal what they go through in abusive relationships. Diverse reasons make them not to open up or report to the necessary authorities the problems they go through on daily basis. For instance, statistics show that 72.3% of abused Latina women do not file for court processes and seek justice after being victims of partner violence (Gottlieb, 2008). During a survey to find out why many of these women who find themselves in violent relationships do not divorce or stop the relationship, many stated that they fear the aftermath of the separation. They claimed that they had of scenarios where immigrant women abandon their violent relationships and manage to make the violence end. However, immediately after the separation, a larger percentage of them reported intense physical violence by former partners or others die mysteriously (Bracken, 2008). In the year 2000, statics of women murdered after getting off a violent relationship was the highest showing 1247 women (Bracken, 2008). According to Bracken, abusive relationships claim the lives of an average of three women every day in United States. Besides in another study conducted in several states other than America, statistics of women murdered by their partners ranged from 40% to 70% depending on the country and the social norms (Bracken). Results indicate that men are more prevalent in abusive relationships. Statistics show that mi every for relationships men subject women to various forms of intimate violence, the main one being sexual assaults and physical assault (Gottlieb, 2008). However, in societies where male violence against women is prevailing, it is mainly because men in these societies play the control role. The latter means that men in these societies control finances and decisions within their family. In these societies, divorce appears as taboo and conflict resolution entails violence against the women. Intimate physical violence may lead to even fatal consequences among the victims. In severe situations, the victims and people may consider committing suicide, permanent disfigured on victims of intense physical abuse or psychological traumas on children of the victims. For instance, Bracken in his article brings out a testimony of a woman who managed to get out of an intimate partner violence relationship. She insists that in the wake of an abusive relationship, abusers and abused usually appear as mentally ill (Bracken, 2008). She says that consequently to being in an abusive marriage and refusing to seek help for various reasons. She now suffers from chronic anxiety, depression and posttraumatic stress disorders (Bracken, 2008). She developed all these disorders while she was living with a physically abusive husband. In addition, her own daughter was also affected by the emotional torment in the house and sexual assault from her father over a long period, suffers from diverse disorders. She was diagnosed of dissociation disorder as well as multiple chronic, mental and physical illnesses (Bracken, 2008). Besides, her son who could not take all the torment and abuse took his own life and left a suicide note explaining how he feared his father from the daily suffering he endured from his childhood. Women react differently from situations of abusive partners in relationships. Their reaction and course of action depends on their backgrounds, religious affiliations as well as the people around them (Gottlieb, 2008). A survey in Spain shows that some women decided to persevere and remain in the relationships while others search for separation like divorce (Ruiz-Perez, et al, 2006. In other instances, some women seek police intervention while others visit health care professionals for counseling programs (Ruiz-Perez, et al, 2006. The last lot of the study results indicated that some women seek help from associations that deal with assisting battered women (Ruiz-Perez, et al, 2006). In each response to abusive relationships by women, various factors influence the reasons to that response. For instance, women who were still young with higher education levels and high-income levels tend to seek divorce after experiencing any sort of violence in their relationships (Sandersonn, 2008). While the older ones with many older children and lacked ways of income earning retorted to keep on with the relationships and suffer in silence. Those who had good social lives seek professional assistance from counselors or even organizations that aid battered women (Sandersonn, 2008). Conclusion Abuse in relationships amongst spouse is widely increasing in all countries across the world. Statistics showing that spouses continue to put their partners under abuse of different forms like physical violence, sexual assault and emotional torment despite the many institutions set up to fight the menace (Sandersonn, 2008). Women also find themselves involved in partner violence due to diverse reasons. For instance, women coming from families associated with child abuse or partner violence among parents tend to become violent to the spouses and find it hard to put a halt to such relationships (Hatcher, 2013). Abuse in relationships may lead to severe consequences for the victim like suicide, mental disorders or permanent physical damage. Several institutions and organizations have been set up to try and control the menace. However, little positive results is seen because statistics prove that many women still experience abuse in relationships and many lose their lives daily. References Bracken, M. (2008). Leaving an abusive relationship: A hermeneutic phenomenological study of lifetime experiences of women who have left abusive relationships. New York: University of Maryland, Baltimore. Evans, P.(2010). The Verbally Abusive Relationship: How to recognize it and how to respond, New York: Adams Media. Print. Gottlieb, A. S. (2008). Intimate partner violence. Journal Watch.Women's Health, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1056/WH200810020000001 Hatcher, L. R. (August 13, 2013, 12:26 PM). Voices: Lisa R. Hatcher, on female clients in abusive relationships. New York: Wall street journal. Retrieved from: http://blogs.wsj.com/wealth-manager/2013/08/13/voices-lisa-r-hatcher-on-female-clients-in-abusive-relationships/ Ruiz-Perez, I., Plazaola-Castano, J., Rio-Lozano, M., & the Gender Violence Study Group. (2006). How do women in Spain deal with an abusive relationship? J Epidemiol Community Health 2006; 60:706-711 doi:10.1136/jech.2005.041624. Retrieved from: http://jech.bmj.com/content/60/8/706.abstract Sandersonn, C. (2008). Counseling Survivors of Domestic Abuse, Ohio: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Print. Stark, E. (2007). Coercive control: How men entrap women in personal life. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Read More