Why Women Stay in
Abusive Relationships

The all-to-common issue of domestic violence begs the question of why women stay in abusive relationships.

Why women stay in abusive relationships is a complex issue, and it has no single, straightforward answer. There are many reasons why many women allow the abuse to continue and stay in those toxic relationships. Women, due to their affinity for emotional attachment, often stay in the home and allow the abuse to continue. There are several aspects as to why this leads women to not want to leave their home and abusive partners . . .

The main reasons are:

• Fear: Fear is the main reason why women stay in abusive relationship. Women do not want to go to the police. Women are afraid that if they leave home the abuser may create more problems for them and their children. In some cases, the abuser threatens the woman with dire consequences if they dare to leave home. Due to these threats, some women feel forced to stay in the family relationship and never disclose their abusive relationship to others.
• Dependency: Women are dependent on men for many reasons. The most important factor is economic dependency. In most cases, men do not allow women to work, and they try to make them fully dependent in the financial matters.

  Financial dependency is the major dependency that gives rise to other forms of dependency such as emotional and physical. The abusers control the thought processes of the women and force the women to stay in the abusive relationship.

• Social and Cultural Norms: In many cases, women strictly follow social and cultural norms - this is one of the reasons why women stay in abusive relationships. In many societies, it is accepted that wives are subservient to their husbands and should obey them. It is also said that it is wrong for a woman to go against a man.

  Social and cultural norms generally do not permit women to leave their homes, irrespective of the situation. Due to social and cultural norms, women make certain adjustments in their lives and prefer to stay in an abusive relationship.

• Family Values: Women are strongly influenced by family values. In Asia, people proudly cite examples of a few women who sacrifice their interest for the interest of the family. Moreover, the women do not want to leave the house, and stay in abusive relationships because of emotional and family values.

Generally, women stay in abusive relationships because they are not aware of the various options available to them. They should read inspirational stories about women who have escaped an abusive relationship and regained the self-confidence to lead a new life.