Does Power at Home Protect Women from Violence? A Comparative Analysis between Urban and Rural Colombian Women

ABSTRACT

Using a sample of 38,718 Colombian women in intimate heterosexual relationships, this study analyzes the prevalence and characteristics of intimate partner violence against rural women in Colombia. The author first contrasts their experiences with those faced by women living in urban areas, and second, the author analyzes those families in which women either have the power to make decisions or share that power with their male partners. The analysis includes discussion of the effects of cultural beliefs such as acceptance of abusive parenting, gender expectations, and attitudes favorable toward violence against women and toward male dominance over their female partners’ social lives and economic security. Demographic indicators such as age, education, wealth, and employment are also analyzed. The analysis was conducted by combining the rationales behind the power control theory (PCT) and the status inconsistency theory (SIT). Factor analysis and structural equation modeling were conducted for the statistical analysis. The results indicate that women living in rural areas versus those in urban settings face specific cultural and economic challenges, and that older, educated, and wealthy women could make decisions more freely than their poor, younger, and less educated counterparts. Regardless of the place of residency, women are abused by their male partners even when they are powerful enough to make decisions alone, as is the case in the matriarchal-type family. In fact, that abuse may be a response to the perception of an “inconsistency” in their gendered behavior.

KEYWORDS:

• IPV against women
• differentials in rural vs. urban areas
• IPV in Colombia

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).