Gender, traditionalism, and attitudes toward domestic violence within a closed community.
This research was aimed at examining the attitudes toward domestic violence of people living in communal secular and religious kibbutzim. The findings, disregarding gender or traditionalism, indicate that most of the kibbutz members examined view the kibbutz as almost totally lacking any problem of violence toward women by their partners. The belief that the kibbutz home is a secure place for women within the family framework appears, surprisingly, at a higher frequency among women than among men. There are two possible theoretical explanations for this finding. First, the kibbutz lifestyle has indeed brought about equal power relationships, which explains why domestic violence is not viewed as a social problem, mostly by secular women. Second, women, who play a relatively minor role in constructing the public agenda in the kibbutz, have not become aware of the existence of this issue in the closed community.
Department Ashkelon, Academic College and Kibbutz Netzer Sereni, 70395 Israel.
Efrat
E
Shoham
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001290:Attitude; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D007599:Judaism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D035621:Secularism; D012737:Sex Factors; D012931:Social Environment; D012945:Social Values; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000523:psychology*