Domestic violence against women by male partners during pregnancy in attapeu province, Lao P.D.R.

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to understand pregnant women's experiences of domestic violence by male partners, and to describe the forms, perceptions of, and factors related to domestic violence against pregnant women. A cross sectional, retrospective, and qualitative study using social-cultural, feminist and family perspectives was conducted from July to October at the provincial hospital, local health centers, and at the home of informants in Samakixay district, Attapue province, Laos. Screening techniques and snowball sampling were used to interviewees. In-depth interviews were conducted with three women who were pregnant at the time of interviews, four women who had recently given birth, and six women who had experiences of domestic violence during pregnancy. This study found that the women had experienced multiple forms of domestic violence since before pregnant, and during pregnancy. The violence became more severity during pregnancy. This is due to patriarchal social and cultural structure because of given gender inequality in terms of the rigid role of male authority as a head of the family, females take submissive roles under the control of husband. Patriarchal control over female body and sexuality, it is seen pregnant women are a much more passive sex than women without pregnancy. Although, the socio- economic characteristics of informants were not direct factors related to domestic violence, but the education and occupation influenced the way they solved problems. Most informants blamed themselves for the violence this means that they were not able to see the patriarchal social structure as the root cause of domestic violence during pregnancy. Hence, they simply kept silence and tried to conform patriarchal expectations, because the perception in Lao society of domestic violence as a private matter. Other factors associated with domestic violence during pregnancy were unwanted pregnancy, alcohol used, unemployment of husband, jealousy, and mother in-law support of the husband domestic viole