Marion County Oregon - Social Supports for Abuse

Domestic Violence

Social Supports for Abuse

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Social Supports for Abuse

Society in general holds certain attitudes about women and their proper roles. Some of these attitudes and stereotypes work in favor of abusers and against the women who are their victims. The following list describes some of the negative social attitudes and practices, as well as the abuser's actions that are supported by the stereotypes about women:

Negative Social Attitudes

Rigid stereotypes and roles for men and women

Women trained, by custom and sometimes by law, to be dependent on men

The Cinderella-and-Prince-Charming myth

Barriers to women in employment, government, leadership

The view that men ought to control money, jobs, all the family's major decisions

The family as an institution discourages any member from leaving or divorce

Police, doctors, schools, other institutions in society don't always respond quickly to clues of abuse

Crime, poverty, and other factors make women fearful of living alone

Tendency to over prescribe drugs for women who are abused

The view that a woman's role is to take care of the family, and therefore any family troubles are the fault of the woman and are her responsibility to "fix"

Family, friends tell the victim to try harder to be a better wife or partner

Faith community expectations that a wife keep her marriage vows "for better or for worse"

The view that children always suffer from divorce and keeping the family together is imperative

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