The meaning of abuse for young Arab women in Israel: Gender, social, and cultural mechanisms of control and supervision

Abstract

Abuse in childhood and adolescence has negative long-term consequences, intensified among young women in Arab society in Israel. The aim of the current study was to better understand the meaning that Arab young women ascribe to abuse experiences in childhood and adolescence and their long-term consequences from a gender, social, and cultural perspective, and how the abuse and its implications affect them as young Arab women. Semi-structured interviews with 20 Arab young women abused in childhood and adolescence revealed two main themes: 1) The meaning ascribed to violence from a social and gender perspective; 2) Emotional, behavioral, and academic consequences enhanced by the gender, social, and cultural supervision and control mechanisms. This study provides a better understanding of the meaning the young women ascribe to abuse and its consequences in the gender, cultural, social, patriarchal, and patrilineal contexts, and can assist policymakers in the development of culturally adapted intervention programs.