Citation

Ahmad F, Riaz S, Barata P, Stewart DE. Violence Against Women 2004; 10(3): 262-282.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2004, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1077801203256000

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between South Asian immigrantwomen’s patriarchal beliefs and their perceptions of spousal abuse. Twenty-minute telephone surveys were conducted with 47 women. The survey collected information about demographic characteristics, patriarchal beliefs, ethnic identity, and abuse status. Participants were read a vignette that depicted an abusive situation and were asked whether they felt that the woman in the vignette was a victim of spousal abuse. As hypothesized, higher agreement with patriarchal social norms predicted a decreased likelihood of identifying the woman in the vignette as a victim of spousal abuse. This finding is discussed in terms of its application to violence against women educational programs in the South Asian immigrant community.