How battered women in a Pakistani rural village of Sohan experience domestic violence in their marriages

Abstract

This research investigated how battered women in a patriarchal Pakistani rural village of Sohan experienced domestic violence in their marriages. The study sought to answer a number of relevant research questions to understand women’s experiences of domestic violence. This research examined the cultural and structural factors that supported the perpetration of domestic violence in the participants’ marriages. It explored factors that shaped participants’ attitudes towards their own victimisation in their husbands’ homes. An in-depth analysis of the risk factors together with an exploration of obstacles and barriers that deterred women from leaving their abusive marriages was presented. It was found that the participants who exercised limited household decision-making autonomy at home became increasingly vulnerable to abuse and exploitation in their marriages. The findings suggested that a woman indoctrinated with subservient qualities was more likely to accept domestic violence in her marriage. It was further demonstrated that religious beliefs and societal expectations dominated the participants’ thinking about marital sex. Denying sexual access and conflict over reproductive rights were most commonly occurring risk factors in the battered women’s accounts. A woman’s financial dependency and patriarchal child custody laws emerged as the most significant deterrents to leaving an abusive marriage.