Studies show that the threat for a woman to be subjected to physical abuse is in inverse proportion to her social and economic well-being. For instance, a recent study by Panda (2014) suggests that the introduction of the strategy based on micro-financing should be viewed as the tool for preventing the cases of physical abuse against women. The research conducted among 1,960 women and based on the principles of a simple random sampling has shown, however, that poverty, in its general sense, is not the primary reason behind the violence that they are forced to suffer. Particularly, a dowry was proven to be the driving factor behind the aggressive behavior of significant others and family members toward women, as the study results outlined (Panda, 2014).
Much to the author’s credit, the strategy suggested as the solution to the problem of violence against women in poor households has been tested extensively. Furthermore, the results turned out to be surprisingly positive. According to the outcomes of the research, the levels of family violence against women were reduced by 63% among the target audience after the introduction of the micro-finance framework (specifically, micro-loans were used as the essential tool). It should be noted, though, that the study has its limitations, the cultural specifics, and a comparatively small number of households tested being the key one.
Arguably, the solution represented above can only be viewed as temporary, though, since the issue of violence against women in impoverished families is predisposed by not only the economic and financial factors but also by the cultural ones to a considerable extent. Another study on the subject matter used a cross-sectional analysis among the members of urban Christian families with traditional values in order to determine the relationships between the essential variables and included the use of descriptive statistics and x2-tests as the foundation for the data analysis. The research has shown that the strategy implying suffering from the abuse without providing any rational response to it was what the majority of women chose as their coping strategy (Montgomery et al., 2015). Therefore, it can be assumed that the propensity to endure physical violence and verbal abuse observed among the participants of the research should be attributed to the sociocultural principles and philosophy on which these women base their decisions. In other words, the study points quite graphically to the fact that there is a need to change the current social justice system in order to handle the issue of violence against women in impoverished areas, as the research by Riley et al. (2014) also shows.
Despite the obvious limitations associated with the choice of the methods used to determine the relationships between the variables, the research still provides important information. For instance, the fact that the x2-test is quite sensitive to the number of participants included in the study needs to be brought up as one of the problems of the research. Nonetheless, the connections that the study makes to a variety of social domains, including religion, culture, traditions, etc., serves as the foil for an in-depth study of the challenges that women subjected to violence experience when addressing the problem. As a result, the reasons for the identified population to refuse from reporting domestic violence can be defined more accurately, and the means of managing the issue can be located.
In a similar way, the papers by Montgomery et al. (2015) and Riley et al. (2014) shed light on the possible solutions to violence against women in impoverished areas, as well as the problems associated with the implementation of these strategies. The exposure to the risks associated with making social connections in an impoverished area was considered the primary factor that defined the prevalence of aggressive behavior toward women in the identified environment. In other words, the propensity among the representatives of the male population in the specified areas to view women’s role in the society in a very restricted way, as well as the idea of gender inequality and the justification of the use of force can be viewed as the primary reason for the problem to occur in the first place.
The cultural foundation for the phenomenon is far too profound to be addressed with the help of a single intervention, as both studies suggest. Instead, Riley et al. (2014) outline the necessity to alter the principles of social justice and the interaction between the representatives of different genders in the environment of impoverished areas. Furthermore, the issues associated with violence need to be related to the health threats that the residents of impoverished areas are exposed to and, therefore, the choices that they make when it comes to their lifestyles (Montgomery et al., 2015; Riley et al., 2014).
Much like the study by Panda (2014), however, the articles mentioned above have their limitations as far as the methods of the data collection, and the analysis is concerned. For instance, the cross-sectional approach used by Montgomery et al. (2015) does not allow carrying out a profound study of each of the areas upon which it touches (e.g., the social one, the economic one, the health-related one, etc.). Regardless of the limitation mentioned above, the research creates a solid foundation for the further design of the program that is likely to reduce the rates of violence against women by addressing the health issues and the associated threats.
The problem of violence against women can also be viewed through the prism of the concepts of the relative status between a man and a woman (Weitzman, 2014), as well as the lens of the social taboos (Thangaraj, Dominic, & Rao, 2015) and gender reframing (O’Neal & Beckman, 2016). The studies in question point to the threat of succumbing to a random subversion of the social stereotypes by the victim, as well as the threats of having no support system. For instance, Thangaraj et al. (2015) declare that the back-answering technique often used by victims is only going to trigger an excessive amount of aggression.
Thus, as the authors emphasize, there is a need to provide a well-thought-out framework of managing the problem on a societal level, at the same time, creating the support system for the women suffering from violence in impoverished areas. Furthermore, when designing a program for addressing the problem, one must put a very strong emphasis on the importance of using the help of friends. The use of social networks can be viewed as a possible tool for managing the current situation regarding the abuse of women in poor households. Once the communication channels for the target audience are created, a significant improvement can be expected (O’Neal & Beckman, 2016).
References
Montgomery, B. E. E., Rompalo, A., Hughes, J., Wang, J., Haley, D., Soto-Torres, L…. & Hodde, S. (2015). Violence against women in selected areas of the United States. American Journal of Public Health, 105(10), 2156-2166. Web.
O’Neal, E. N., & Beckman, L. O. (2016). Intersections of race, ethnicity, and gender: reframing knowledge surrounding barriers to social services among Latina intimate partner violence victims. Violence Against Women, 1(1), 1-23. Web.
Panda, P. K. (2014). Role of micro finance in reduction of domestic violence against women and women empowerment: An economic analysis. JIMQUEST, 10(2), 67-78.
Riley, E. D., Cohen, J., Knight, R. K., Decker, A., Marson, K., & Shumway, M. (2014). Recent violence in a community-based sample of homeless and unstably housed women with high levels of psychiatric comorbidity. American Journal of Public Health, 104(9), 1657-1683. Web.
Thangaraj, S., Dominic, N., & Rao, A. (2015). A cross-sectional study on women abuse in the urban areas of Bengaluru. International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health, 4(5), 713-716. Web.
Weitzman, A. (2014). Women’s and men’s relative status and intimate partner violence in India. Population and Development Review, 40(1), 55-75. Web.