Violence, Depression and Survival among Latina / Mexican Women - Research Paper Example

Violence, Depression and Survival among Latina / Mexican Women Introduction Domestic violence, partner abuse, or sexual assault against women is found to be a common occurrence not only in the United States but internationally as well. The multitudinous forms of violence against women of societal as well as structural nature not only nurture but also tend to encourage the milieu in which such incidents occur and progress. The psychological and emotional impacts of such violent crimes against women are manifold and are often difficult to heal. Since domestic violence which is often camouflaged as a part of deep rooted socio – cultural beliefs and traditions, is so intricately woven into the fabrics of our daily lives it is more often than not, conveniently ignored and hence less likely to be acknowledged as a probable area of concern. Society, in general, has accepted, adopted and endured certain traditions and beliefs about gender roles, race relations as well as dynamics of class and culture which tends to justify violence within households - with victims often forced into submission. This paper deals with the myriad forms of domestic violence and partner abuse against women of Latino – Mexican descent living in Los Angeles and the resultant repercussions, analyzes and studies the incidents of depression and attempts to understand the survival tactics of these battered women as they struggle to cope amongst hatred, seclusion, and abandonment. 1. Latinos in the U.S. : A Demographic Overview According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 20081 Latinos2 are the fastest growing largest minority groups in the United States with a population of about 45.5 million comprising of approximately 15% of the total U.S. population of which 97 %3 of them live in East Los Angeles and California. They vary significantly in terms of composition of population i.e., social, economical and occupational categories. Research indicates that one out of every six women were victims of domestic violence of which 51% were mostly unreported4. 1.1. Education According to the U.S. Bureau of Census (1994) Mexicans are the least educated amongst all the total U.S. population and the quality of education imparted to people of different ethnicities is drastically lower as compared to rest of the population. However a significant change has been observed in the recent years as depicted in the following table5. % of high school students 18 % of college students 10 % of Hispanic population over the age of 25 with a bachelor’s degree 12 1.2. Employment Individuals belonging to Hispanic descent are known to have occupied a wide range of positions in terms of occupation ranging from teachers, and lawyers and news reporters to other relatively lower paying jobs such as sales and office jobs, construction and transportation among others. The following table shows the employment statistics of people of Hispanic descent. Number of mid to high level jobs 38,500 % of Hispanics working in managerial positions 18 Real median Income of Hispanic Households6 $34,241 % of poverty rate7 amongst Hispanic population 21.9% 2. Domestic Violence Domestic violence is defined as gender based aggressive behavior directed against an individual with an intention to cause serious physical or non physical injury by an intimate male partner on a woman. The kind of injuries inflicted could range from physical, mental, emotional, sexual or economic nature and also includes isolation or alienation. It is perceived as a widely known and accepted expression of power and control against the victims within a household. Physical abuse is perceived by abusive male partners as their cultural birthright while women on the other hand continue to fall victim and suffer in silence for fear of social alienation which explains the wide gap between the percentage of crime actually reported as against the total number of crimes against women. Women of Mexican or Latino descent are known to have borne the brunt of such aggression within their households by their intimate male partners on account of several reasons. The Hispanics were economically backward as opposed to other sections of the population as observed from the tables mentioned above. The apparent economic disparity among the whites and non white population fuelled significant dejection, anger and frustration which the Latino males vented out on their female partners. Thus the widespread economic disparity and poverty is considered to be the prime reason for such domestic violence along with other factors such as poor socio economic status, excessive alcohol consumption, occupational stress, fatalistic cultural beliefs, oppression and discrimination. 3. Depression According to Carlson and McNutt8 (1998) victims of domestic violence who are notably women, are known to succumb to mental trauma causing serious health problems. Depression is the most common cause of domestic violence often pushing the victims towards drastic measures such as substance abuse, severe mental illness, and even suicide. According to some researchers Latinos are more likely to harbor suicidal tendencies as compared to rest of the American population. The two most common causes citied for such drastic measures are mental distress and violence by intimate partners. 4. Survival Mexican or Latina women are often observed to be content with staying in abusive relationships. This is mainly attributed to the inherent cultural beliefs amongst the community where falling out of a relationship is often frowned upon and labeled as a moral failure. Besides economic dependency, concern for children and failure to seek alternative living arrangements are some of the other factors that act as barriers for seeking professional assistance. Some of the common coping strategies as found by researches include refusal to accept that it will persist, strong belief in partner’s promises, and other passive strategies such as assuming responsibility for such violence9. According to another study conducted by O’Keefe (1994) which studied battered women in Los Angeles shelters, one of the most common reason found that prevented women from seeking assistance was the complete lack of proper support groups apart from concerns for personal safety. 5. Conclusion Gender based violence is today quite rampant and could well be regarded as a global epidemic. It is not only an abuse of human rights and an embodiment of apathetic treatment of fellow human beings but also disheartening image of a steadily declining social structure. The discussions and studies included in the above report point towards an urgent need for proper and efficient framework for sustaining and supporting victims of domestic violence and adopting and implementing policies that seek to address some of the critical issues that cause such violent expressions of anger and distrust such as initiating measures to help eliminate racial discrimination and work towards building a community that flourishes on gender and racial equality. References: U.S. Census Bureau (2009). Facts for Features: Hispanic Heritage, viewed: Feb 23rd, 2009 from: Gelles, R. J., (1997). Intimate Violence in Families, 3rd Edition, Thousand Oaks, C.A., Sage Publication Carlson, B. E., McNutt, L. A., (1998). Intimate Partner Violence: Intervention in Primary Health Settings, Battered Women and Their Families – Intervention Strategies and Treatment Programs, New York, Springer, Pp. 230 – 270. Ferraro, K., Johnson, J. M., (1983). How Women Experience Battering: The Process of Victimization, Social Problems, Vol. 30, Pp. 325 – 339. O’Keefe, M., (1994). Racial / Ethnic Differences Among Battered Women and Their Children, Journal of Child and Family Studies, Vol. 3, Pp. 283 – 305. Read More