The Dimensions of Adaption to Marital Violence in Saudi Society “A Field Study on a Sample of the Marital Women’s in Jeddah City”

Abstract

This study aims to determine the role of certain dimensions that compels a wife to adapt with marital violence thus elect to continue in such a turbulent marriage. The study adapted the descriptive approach and the measurement of adaption with marital violence for data collection from a sample of 114 battered women whom members of the Family Protection Foundation situated at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The results of major factors that compels a battered wife to adapt with marital violence were: The wife's below average appearance, obesity and below average beauty as to the dimension of the wife's personality aspects. Increased divorced process cost and lengthy divorce process as to the dimension of the divorce process and child custody. The wife's inability to control her children' behaviors, difficulty to fulfill her children' needs, depending on the father for extending such orientation and guidelines to children as to the dimension of caring for children. The wife's family's inadequate support as a result of the family's hard economic condition and lack of social status, the family's rooted conception that the husband has the right to discipline his wife as to the dimension of the family support. Inadequate social security for the wife and her children, the wife's total financial dependence on the husband, inadequate financial support (designated by a competent court) for both of the mother and children after divorce, inadequate financial support from the wife's family as to the dimension of financial dependence on the husband. However, the physical, health, sex and economic violence are the major types of violence adapted by battered wives.