Why can't I leave him?: A qualitative study on why women stay on in abusive relationships

• Main Authors: Arriola, Paula Angela, Babista, Francesca Andrea A., Dee, Gillian Anne F.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2013
• Subjects: Wife abuse > Philippines; Abused women; Family violence > Philippines; Psychology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/11593
• Institution: De La Salle University

The present study was conducted to fully understand why battered women find it hard to leave their partners. It was also done to acknowledge their experiences/situations and examine the process of staying on despite them suffering from their partners abuses. The study consists of six self-admittedly battered women, aged 29-45 years old, all belonging to the lower socio-economic status. All of them were interviewed twice, both by group and individually. Findings reveal seven major themes across interviews, which are: Financial dependence, For the sake of their children, Seeing the partners efforts for compensating for his abuses, Attachment to the partner, Trusting their partner, Fear of trusting other men, and Fear that more drastic things will happen. Apart from these major themes are the experiences of these battered women from the abuses that they have received from their partner, in the form of verbal, psychological, physical, sexual and economic. Also, it was found out that these women have their own coping mechanisms, which is why they have the capability to tolerate their partners abuses more. Such coping mechanisms involve herself, her partner and herself, and other people.