Between the empowered self and the social costs: Arab abused women's perceptions of their relationship with social workers in community health clinics in Israel.
Abused women seek help from medicine services extensively. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 12 married Arab-Israeli abused women about their relationships with social workers in community health clinics. Analysis reveals that women's evaluation of the impact of encounters with social workers is bipolar. On one pole are the difficulties and stressors derived from the cultural limitations that are placed on their ability to bring changes. On the other pole are the benefits--awareness in coping with repressive social powers and empowerment as competent choosers. The discussion elaborates the conflicts and paradoxes inherent in the nature of the interventions with abused women in a collectivistic culture.
a School of Social Work , University of Haifa , Haifa , Israel.
Eli
E
Buchbinder
Rouzin
R
Barakat
D000328:Adult; D018912:Arabs / Q000208:ethnology*; D018585:Battered Women / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003151:Community Health Centers; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D005195:Family Relations / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011209:Power, Psychological; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D036301:Qualitative Research; D057545:Social Stigma; D012947:Social Work / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D014933:Women's Rights