Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Women’s Conformity as Resistance to Intimate Partner Violence in Assiut, Egypt

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Sex Roles Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper explores, in Assiut, Egypt, how women respond to IPV and how their social relations sustain or prevent it. Nineteen qualitative interviews with married women were coded in MaxQDA, revealing a pattern of strategic conformity. Most women blamed the wife for spousal aggression and recommended modifying her behavior to end it. Talking with female kin, who often advised tolerance, was the next most common reaction. When such tactics failed, a woman might ask male kin to intervene. Seeking the police or courts was considered shameful and might jeopardize a woman’s marriage. Women enacted “the good woman” to preserve self-worth and oblige husbands or male kin to return protection. Ostensibly, these strategies mitigated IPV but maintained its underlying patriarchal structures.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abu-Lughod, L. (1985). A community of secrets: The separate world of Bedouin women. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 10, 637–657.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Abu-Lughod, L. (2005). Dramas of nationhood: The politics of television in Egypt. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Abu-Ras, W. (2007). Cultural beliefs and service utilization by battered Arab immigrant women. Violence Against Women, 13, 1002–1028.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Abu-Seif, D. (2010). Egyptian masculinity: The poor and the burden of responsibility. Saarbrücken: Lap Lambert Academic Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Agoff, C., Herrera, C., & Castro, R. (2007). The weakness of family ties and their perpetuating effects on gender violence: A qualitative study in Mexico. Violence Against Women, 13, 1206–1220.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Akmatov, M. K., Mikolajczyk, R. T., Labeeb, S., Dhaher, E., & Khan, M. M. (2008). Factors associated with wife beating in Egypt: Analysis of two surveys (1995 and 2005). BMC Women’s Health, 8, 15.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ammar, N. (2000). In the shadow of the pyramids: Domestic violence in Egypt. International Review of Victimology, 7, 29–66.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ammar, N. (2006). Beyond the shadows: Domestic violence in a “democratizing” Egypt. Trauma, Violence & Abuse, 7, 244–259.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anglewicz, P., Adams, J., Obare, F., Kohler, H.-P., & Watkins, S. (2009). The Malawi diffusion and ideational change project 2004–06: Data collection, data quality, and analysis of attrition. Demographic Research, 20, 503–540.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bair-Merritt, M. H., Blackstone, M., & Feudtner, C. (2006). Physical health outcomes of childhood exposure to intimate partner violence: A systematic review. Pediatrics, 117, e278–e290.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bernard-Maugiron, N., & Dupret, B. (2002). Egypt and its laws. New York: Kluwer Law International.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bernard-Maugiron, N., & Dupret, B. (2008). Breaking up the family: Divorce in Egyptian law and practice. Journal of Women of the Middle East and the Islamic World, 6, 52–74.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bonomi, A. E., Holt, V. L., Martin, D. P., & Thompson, R. S. (2006). Severity of intimate partner violence and occurrence and frequency of police calls. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 21, 1354–1364.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Botman, S. (1999). Engendering citizenship in Egypt. New York: Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boy, A., & Kulczycki, A. (2008). What we know about intimate partner violence in the Middle East and North Africa. Violence Against Women, 14, 53–69.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brabeck, K. M., & Guzmán, M. R. (2008). Frequency and perceived effectiveness of strategies to survive abuse employed by battered Mexican-Origin Women. Violence Against Women, 14, 1274–1294.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Charrad, M. M. (2001). States and women’s rights: The making of post-colonial Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco. Berkeley: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, C. J., Silverman, J. G., Shahrouri, M., Everson-Rose, S., & Groce, N. (2010). The role of the extended family in women’s risk of intimate partner violence in Jordan. Social Science & Medicine, 70, 144–151.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dillon, S. A. (2000). Healing the sacred Yoni in the land of Isis: Female genital mutilation is banned (again) in Egypt. Houston Journal of International Law, 22, 289–326.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dodd, P. C. (1973). Family honor and the forces of change in Arab society. International Journal of Middle East Studies, 4, 40–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Douki, S., Nacef, F., Belhadj, A., Bouasker, A., & Ghachem, R. (2003). Violence against women in Arab and Islamic countries. Archives of Women’s Mental Health, 6, 165–171.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • El-Zanaty, F., & Way, A. (2006). Egypt Demographic and Health Survey 2005. Cairo: Macro International.

    Google Scholar 

  • El-Zanaty, F., & Way, A. (2009). Egypt Demographic and Health Survey 2008. Cairo: Ministry of Health, El-Zanaty & Associates, & Macro International.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fluehr-Lobban, C., & Bardsley-Sirois, L. (1990). Obedience (ta’a) in Muslim marriage: Religious interpretation and applied law in Egypt. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 21, 38–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fugate, M., Landis, L., Riordan, K., Naureckas, S., & Engel, B. (2005). Barriers to domestic violence help seeking: Implications for intervention. Violence Against Women, 11, 290–310.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Garcia-Moreno, C., Jansen, H. A. F. M., Ellsberg, M., Heise, L., & Watts, C. H. (2006). Prevalence of intimate partner violence: Findings from the WHO multi-country study on women’s health and domestic violence. Lancet, 368, 1260–1269.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gibbs, G. R. (2008). Analyzing qualitative data. London: Sage Publications, Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodkind, J. R., Gillum, T. L., Bybee, D. I., & Sullivan, C. M. (2003). The impact of family and friends’ reactions on the well-being of women with abusive partners. Violence Against Women, 9, 347–373.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, L., Dutton, M. A., Vankos, N., & Weinfurt, K. (2005). Women’s resources and use of strategies as risk and protective factors for reabuse over time. Violence Against Women, 11, 311–336.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gracia, E., García, R., & Lila, M. (2008). Police involvement in cases of intimate partner violence against women: The influence of perceived severity and personal responsibility. Violence Against Women, 14, 697–714.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Guenena, N., & Wassef, N. (1999). Unfulfilled promises: Women’s rights in Egypt. Cairo: Population Council.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hadeed, L. F., & El-Bassel, N. (2006). Social support among Afro-Trinidadian women experiencing intimate partner violence. Violence Against Women, 12, 740–760.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Haj-Yahia, M. M. (1996). Wife abuse in Arab society in Israel: challenges for future change. In J. L. Edleson & Z. C. Eisikovits (Eds.), Future interventions with battered women and their families (pp. 87–101). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haj-Yahia, M. M. (2002a). Attitudes of Arab women toward different patterns of coping with wife abuse. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 17, 721–745.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haj-Yahia, M. M. (2002b). Beliefs of Jordanian women about wife beating. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 26, 282–291.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haj-Yahia, M. M. (2004). Wife abuse and battering in the sociocultural context of Arab society. Family Process, 39, 237–255.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holden, G. W. (2003). Children exposed to domestic violence and child abuse: Terminology and taxonomy. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 6, 151–160.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hoodfar, H. (1997). Between marriage and the market: Intimate politics and survival in Cairo. Berkeley: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • ICF Macro. (2010). Surveys with the domestic violence module. Retrieved from http://www.measuredhs.com/topics/gender/dv_surveys.cfm.

  • Ingram, E. M. (2007). A comparison of help seeking between Latino and non-Latino victims of intimate partner violence. Violence Against Women, 13, 159–171.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jewkes, R., Levin, J., & Penn-Kekana, L. (2002). Risk factors for domestic violence: Findings from a South African cross-sectional study. Social Science & Medicine, 55, 1603–1617.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Joseph, S. (1993). Connectivity and patriarchy among urban working-class Arab families in Lebanon. Ethos, 21, 452–484.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Joseph, S. (1996). Patriarchy and development in the Arab World. Gender and Development, 4, 14–19.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Joseph, S. (1999). Brother-sister relationships: Connectivity, love, and power in the reproduction of patriarchy in Lebanon. In S. Joseph (Ed.), Intimate selving in Arab families: Gender, self, and identity in Arab families (pp. 113–139). Syracuse: Syracuse University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Joseph, S. (2000). Gender and citizenship in the Middle East. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Joseph, S. (2008). Familism and critical Arab family studies. In K. M. Yount & H. Rashad (Eds.), Family in the Middle East: Ideational change in Egypt, Iran, and Tunisia (pp. 25–39). Oxford: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jowkar, F. (1986). Honor and shame: A feminist view from within. Feminist Issues, 6, 45–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kalmuss, D., & Straus, M. A. (1982). Wife’s marital dependency and wife abuse. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 44, 277–286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kandiyoti, D. (1988). Bargaining with patriarchy. Gender and Society, 2, 274–290.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Komter, A. (1989). Hidden power in marriage. Gender and Society, 3, 187–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krahé, B., Bieneck, S., & Möller, I. (2005). Understanding gender and intimate partner violence from an international perspective. Sex Roles, 52, 807–827.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Langhinrichsen-Rohling, J. (2010). Controversies involving gender and intimate partner violence in the United States. Sex Roles, 62, 179–193.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leary, M. R. (1995). Self presentation, impression management, and interpersonal behavior. Boulder: Westview.

    Google Scholar 

  • MacLeod, A. E. (1991). Accommodating protest: Working women, the new veiling, and change in Cairo. New York: Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moe, A. M. (2007). Silenced voices and structural survival: Battered women’s help seeking. Violence Against Women, 13, 676–699.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moghadam, V. M. (2004). Patriarchy in transition: Women and the changing family in the Middle East. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 35, 137–162.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morrison, K. E., Luchok, K. J., Richter, D. L., & Parra-Medina, D. (2006). Factors influencing help-seeking from informal networks among African American victims of intimate partner violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 21, 1493–1511.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • National Research Council [NRC]. (2003). Advancing the federal research agenda on violence against women. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, C., & Olesen, V. (1977). Veil of illusion: A critique of the concept of equality in western thought. Catalyst, 10, 8–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rugh, A. B. (1984). Family in contemporary Egypt. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Said, S., Zaki, A., Hamid, A. A., Hassan, M., & Kader, H. A. (2009). Egypt violence against women study: Overview of services on violence against women. Egypt: U.S. Agency for International Development & National Council for Women.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sonbol, A. (1996). Women, the family, and divorce laws in Islamic History. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Institute for National Planning (INP). (2005). Egypt 2005 human development report. Cairo: UNDP.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watson, H. (1994). Separation and reconciliation: Marital conflict among the Muslim poor in Cairo. In C. F. El-Solh & J. Mabro (Eds.), Muslim women’s choices: Religious belief and social reality (pp. 33–54). Oxford: Berg Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weinreb, A. A. (2008). The determinants of consanguineous marriage in Egypt, 1988–2000. European Journal of Population, 24, 185–210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolfe, D. A., Crooks, C. V., McIntyre-Smith, V. L. A., & Jaffe, P. G. (2003). The effects of children’s exposure to domestic violence: A meta-analysis and critique. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 9, 171–187.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yount, K. M. (1999). Persistent inequalities: Women’s status and differentials in the treatment of sick boys and girls. Case study of Minia, Egypt. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yount, K. M. (2005). Resources, family organization, and violence against married women in Minya, Egypt. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67, 579–596.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yount, K., & Li, L. (2009). Women’s “justification” of domestic violence in Egypt. Journal of Marriage and Family, 71(5), 1125–1140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yount, K., & Li, L. (2010). Domestic violence against married women in Egypt. Sex Roles, 63, 332–347.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

I thank Ms. Rosalie Haughton, Mrs. Jennifer Arney, and Dr. Omaima El-Gibaly for assistance in the data collection and analysis. I also thank Ms. Teresa R. Parker for assistance in preparing this manuscript. Any remaining errors are the responsibility of the author. A research grant from the Law and Social Sciences Program of the National Sciences Foundation (SES-0550387) provided financial support for the data collection and analysis.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rollins School of Public Health, 1518 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA

    Kathryn M. Yount

  2. Hubert Department of Global Health and Department of Sociology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Kathryn M. Yount

Authors
  1. Kathryn M. Yount
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kathryn M. Yount.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Yount, K.M. Women’s Conformity as Resistance to Intimate Partner Violence in Assiut, Egypt. Sex Roles 64, 43–58 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-010-9884-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-010-9884-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation