“A Question of APIA Feminism” is a series of posts addressing specific issues of APIA feminism, and how race and gender intersect to produce concerns unique to Asian American women. Please read the introduction to this series of posts prior to commenting.
Domestic abuse has affected men and women of many cultures and backgrounds, and has been an issue adopted by mainstream feminists for some time, primarily because the vast majority domestic abuse is committed against women — according to the U.S. Department of Justice, 85% of intimate partner violence is conducted against female victims. Domestic abuse, or intimate partner violence, refers to hurtful or abusive behaviour within an intimate relationship that can include emotional, sexual and physical abuse. The 1992 report by the Committee on Family Violence, out of the National Institutes of Mental Health, defined intimate partner violence as:
“Family or intimate violence may include acts that are physically and emotionally harmful or that carry the potential to cause physical harm. Abuse of adult partners may include sexual coercion or assaults, physical intimidation, threats to kill or to harm, restraint of normal activities or freedom, and denial of access to resources.”
Existing studies of domestic abuse have historically neglected to collect racial or ethnic data on victims of domestic violence. In those studies that do collect racial or ethnic data, studies that have focused on Asian American women have varied widely in the reported frequency of domestic violence (summarized in this factsheet from the Asian and Pacific Islander Institute on Domestic Abuse), suggesting that Asian American women might underreport domestic abuse or be less educated on recognizing the warning signs. Regardless, even these rough estimates are alarming: anywhere between 20-80% of APIA women report experiencing some form of domestic abuse or violence. At least one study (conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice) estimates that roughly 52% of Asian American women are victims of rape and/or physical assault (Exhibit 4), but notes that this only represents the incidence of reporting.
Should studies confirm that incidence of domestic abuse differs for Asian American women compared to women of other racial or ethnic backgrounds, this finding would suggest that there is a racial/ethnic component to combatting domestic abuse that must be addressed, likely involving a need for greater resources dedicated to aiding APIA women in recognizing and reporting abuse. Indeed, this interpretation is consistent with the estimate that only half of all domestic abuse was reported in 1993-1998 (according to the U.S. Department of Justice’s 2000 report on Intimate Partner Violence).
Within the Asian American community, studies suggest that reporting of domestic abuse varies along ethnic lines, as well as according to age and generational status. 61% of immigrant Japanese women, for example, reported some form of intimate partner violence, while a different study found 20% of Filipina women reported experiencing some form of domestic violence. A third study reported that 8% of Chinese women experienced “severe physical violence”, but that percentage doubled with “more acculturated” women (although this may represent a higher likelihood of reporting).
One of the most comprehensive studies conducted on domestic violence within the Asian American community was authored by the Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project. Project AWARE (Asian Women Advocating Respect and Empowerment) surveyed nearly 200 Asian women in the D.C. area. That study noted that roughly two-thirds of surveyed women at least “occasionally” experienced some form of controlling behaviour or psychological abuse from their intimate partners in the year prior to the study; Project AWARE displays the forms of abuse that were surveyed in the full report.
Several studies (e.g. Understanding Violence Against Women by Cromwell and Burgess) have suggested that the problem of domestic abuse or intimate partner violence within the Asian American community may stem from unique cultural influences that affect a woman’s likelihood to recognize or report abuse by her partner.
Primarily, traditional Confucian principles of familial hierarchy have been traditionally used to define gender roles wherein husbands are superior to wives and sons superior to daughters; this hierarchy is reinforced by a social expectation of obedience and piety, and results in both men and women being socialized into accepting a superior/inferior relationship between intimate partners that can leave women susceptible to intimate partner violence. Indeed, an abusive relationship may be so normalized for a woman that APIA women by not recognize abuse as it occurs. Moreoever, our tacit acceptance of hierarchal intimate partner relationships may unintentionally reward patterns of domestic violence; in “Unheard Voices”, a study on APIA domestic violence, one survey participant said:
“I think its our cultures that allow it to happen. We do not hold somebody accountable for that kind of violence…you see that the batterer gets invited to parties, it’s the woman who gets isolated…”
Secondly, several Asian cultures have emphasized the importance of familial or social harmony, as well as to preserve social “face” over personal interests. Dasgupta and Warrier (1996) reported that within the South Asian community, the predominant motivation for wives were a belief in the rold of a “good wife”, described as including “sacrifice of personal freedom and autonomy… they felt responsible for the reputation of their families in India, were eager not to compromise their families’ honor with a divorce, and operated under the added pressure of preserving traditions and presenting an “unblemished” image of the community to the U.S. mainstream.”
Finally, Asian/Pacific Islander women may underreport intimate partner violence or domestic abuse due to misunderstandings or ignorance of the U.S. legal system stemming from their position as recent legal immigrants, permanent resident, or undocumented workers. In 2001-2004, more than 1.3 million legal immigrants originated from Asian countries, while estimates of undocumented workers suggest that the second largest group of illegal aliens in America are Asian (~13%). These demographics may discourage Asian American women from reporting intimate partner violence, either because they are unaware of their legal protections or they do not want to jeopardize their immigration status in this country.
Certainly, the problem for Asian American feminists is how to shape the debate: by far, the emphasis for APIA feminists should be to encourage more studies to help us best understand the scope of intimate partner violence/domestic abuse as it affects the Asian American community. Is it a question of underreporting? Inadequate outreach to the APIA community by resources or centers geared towards helping battered women? Culturally insensitive treatment for encouraging or supporting APIA victims of intimate partner violence to report their abuse? Sadly, the problem is simply that we don’t even know how many of our mothers, sisters, and daughters are suffering domestic abuse in silence.
The invisibility of Asian American women in the struggle to end intimate partner violence rests also in the Model Minority Myth, which has long discouraged mainstream America from imagining that the Asian American community might suffer from concerns such as mental disease or domestic violence. This reluctance to perceive the APIA community as flawed not only jeopardizes the idealistic image of the American immigrant, but may also be perpetuated within the community by APIA men and women who are unwilling to “air out our dirty laundry” in the eyes of mainstream America. As Dasgupta and Warrier reported in their 1996 study, men and women of Asian communities may feel a pressure to maintain “face” for their cultural traditions, heritages, or race in America, and as such may perceive a woman reporting intimate partner violence or domestic abuse as an affront upon that image. Others may view the “racializiation” of the domestic abuse issue as a castigation of Asian cultures as more sexist or more misogynistic, and criticize the debate as a deliberate attempt to smear the “face” of Asian Americans in America. Writes the author of the “Unheard Voices” study:
All of the participants agreed that Asian American women have to deal with the constraints of their own cultures as well as those of an indifferent mainstream culture that denies that domestic violence occurs amongst Asian Americans. As a result, most battered Asian women gain very little assistance from systems that are supposed to help them find a measure of safety.
The question foremost on my mind is why the Asian American community at-large isn’t angry about domestic abuse/intimate partner violence within our community? APIA feminists must maintain the focus of the debate on the unheard victims of domestic abuse and intimate partner violence. The unique sexism that APIA feminists must combat is the reluctance, both within and outside the APIA community, to address or even understand the concerns of Asian American female victims of physical and psychological assault. The implicit message being sent by our apathy is that abuse against APIA women is acceptable, so long as it is unheard or willfully misunderstood.
Resources:
Activism Opportunity!
If you are interested in getting involved, consider writing a letter in support of improved funding towards better addressing intimate partner violence or domestic abuse targeting Asian & Pacific Islander American women. Your letter can be addressed to:
2007 State of Asian Americana
from Jenn @ reappropriate 31 Dec 2007 10:09 pm
