Citation

Cwikel J, Lev-Wiesel R, Al-Krenawi A. Violence Against Women 2003; 9(2): 240-257.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1077801202239008

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This study examined the self-reported health status of Bedouin Arab women in relation to two salient features of current Bedouin Arab social mores: the emphasis on maintaining a high rate of fertility and the social acceptance of domestic violence. A quota sample of 202 Bedouin Arab women ranging in age from 22 to 75 were personally interviewed. Fortyeight percent of the women reported a lifetime exposure to physical violence, and 30% reported domestic violence that was associated with symptoms of poor mental health status and gynecological problems. Domestic violence was associated with a large number of children, and there is some indication that the level of domestic violence decreases during pregnancy.