Social and Cultural Influences

The Hispanic culture is traditional; it is patriarchal with a well-established social system. Although a woman's role is critical in the survival of the race, women are relegated to act out the less powerful roles of wife and mother. There are few women that can be found in the powerful positions of employer or supervisor. It is not socially acceptable for women to be divorced, to be married more then once, or to be unwed mothers. It could be due to these reasons that the abused woman takes so much time in deciding to leave her husband or partner.

Hispanic women have been taught to accept things as they are. Traditions regarding the home have been passed down generation after generation. If one ignores them and/or tries to change them, then one is showing a lack of respect to one's elders and culture.

People give various reasons as to why women are abused by their husbands or partners. It is possible that you have heard that it is because the family is poor, because the woman is employed and is not at home to take care of her family, or because she is nor very intelligent. But women of all cultures and races, of all economical levels and personalities can be and are physically and emotionally abused by the men in their lives. A great deal of the phrases used regarding abused women are simply made to excuse a behavior that is violent, illegal and unmotivated. When people or abusive men themselves try to make excuses for their violent behavior or begin blaming women for being the cause of their behavior, they are simply fooling themselves and ignoring a very serious and complicated problem.

These excuses also help perpetuate myths or sayings regarding domestic violence. These myths are often times socially circulated through magazines, novels, barrooms and beauty salons. Finally, these myths are passed along from person to person until no one disputes them and everyone accepts them as fact. The worst result of all of this is that myths make abused women believe that they are to blame for their condition and that if they really wanted to, they could control the violence. These myths are false.

All victims of mistreatment confront serious problems in terms of decision making. Let us not forget that the victim is fearful of making the situation public for fear of continued aggression.

In the case of a victim who has decided to leave her home, it should be noted that she will go through a period of "mourning" due to her lose of a "loving" relationship, sense of security, marriage and possible health. She will have, no doubt, lost her self-esteem.

Anyone who volunteers to help a victim must accept the emotions that the victim is dealing with (fear, anger, sadness, remorse, guilt, etc.) without contradicting or forcing the victim to face her fears. It is not recommended that we force the victim to face up to the situation. It is of the utmost importance that the victim grows to understand that we are truly interested in helping her and that due to our interest in her safety, we will do whatever possible to protect her.

It is necessary that we give the victim all the necessary support, especially since her level of security is so low. It is important that at this time we do not destroy any hopes that the women may have related to her marriage. It is through these thoughts of "everything will work out" that she will find the strength to carry on. We must have complete confidence in the victim's capacity to analyze, without a doubt, her situation and to make the proper decisions. We should never forget that it is the victim who must decide if she will leave her husband on a temporary or permanent basis or if she will leave him at all. The person who is aiding a victim should not become disheartened if the victim elects to return to her home time after time. Instead, we must recognize this decision as a reflection of the victim's low self-esteem.

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