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Burden of Womanhood: Tamil Women’s Perceptions of Coping with Intimate Partner Violence

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Abstract

Helping women victimized by intimate partner violence (IPV) is a challenge, particularly when the women belong to diverse ethnic groups. The objective of our study was to collect information on perceptions of coping with IPV from the perspective of a specific immigrant group of women. Sixty-three women from the Tamil community in Toronto representing different generations and experiences of IPV were interviewed in focus group settings about their views of coping with IPV. Study findings suggested that their views were deeply embedded in their sociocultural context and influenced by the gender-role expectations from the community. The women showed a marked preference for “passive” modes of coping rather than “active.” Study findings have implications for the development of alternative approaches to helping ethnically diverse women deal with IPV.

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Notes

  1. In Hindu festivals, devotees will undertake a pilgrimage along a set route while engaging in various acts of devotion, notably carrying various types of kavadi (burdens). At its simplest, this may entail carrying a pot of milk, but mortification of the flesh by piercing the skin, tongue, or cheeks with skewers is also common. When one carries kavadi, the requirement is that one should complete the set route carrying it all the way.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Pushpa Kanagaratnam

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Brenda Toner

  3. Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Women’s College Research Institute and Women’s Mental Health Program, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Robin Mason & Ilene Hyman

  4. Changing Lives and Family Violence Programs, Family Service Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Lisa Manuel

  5. Faculty of Health Sciences, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada

    Helene Berman

Authors
  1. Pushpa Kanagaratnam
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  2. Robin Mason
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  3. Ilene Hyman
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  4. Lisa Manuel
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  5. Helene Berman
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  6. Brenda Toner
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Correspondence to Pushpa Kanagaratnam.

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Kanagaratnam, P., Mason, R., Hyman, I. et al. Burden of Womanhood: Tamil Women’s Perceptions of Coping with Intimate Partner Violence. J Fam Viol 27, 647–658 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-012-9461-1

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