Battered Women in Korean Immigrant Families: The Silent Scream.

Abstract

Current myths about Asian Americans as quiet, nonproblematic, and self-managing ignore the problems faced by Korean immigrant battered women. Wife abuse is no stranger to Korean culture. This book provides insights on how Korean immigrant families' cultural conflict during their adjustment period often brings out wife abuse in their homes. The author cites attitudes toward traditionalism as a significant contributing factor, noting that couples who adhere to rigid sex-roles are more violent than couples who are less rigid. The author also illustrates differences between battered and nonbattered groups with regard to stress-evoking factors and reviews patterns in crisis management and problem-solving methods reported by battered Korean women. This is a volume that will be of interest to sociologists, anthropologists, and feminists.