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Abuse and Bullying
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1. What are common difficulties that women face when trying to leave abusive male
partners? Be sure to include economic challenges and realities faced.
According to Sears (2018), intimate partner violence is on the increase now than ever,
with one in three women experiencing marital violence. Abusive male partners often resort to
violence like intimidation, coercion, and power, dominance, and control to prove their maleness
and dominance in the relationship. However, domestic violence is generally rooted in the power
and control aspect of violence. The high unemployment rate, inability to provide for families,
and economic uncertainty have contributed to an extra strain of pressure for many families,
resulting in loss of control, irritability, anger, and frustration that are pretty often meted out in the
form of gender-based violence to women. Despite all these frustrations, women still decide to
stay in abusive relationships. This paper wills discuss some of the common difficulties women
face when trying to leave abusive male partners.
Bermea et al. (2020) claim that fear is one of the common difficulties women face when
attempting to leave their abusive partners. Male abusers tend to control and keep women trapped
by instilling the threat of bodily and emotional harm on them. Therefore, these women are
terrorized and traumatized by the threats they receive from their male partners, making it more
dangerous for women to leave their abusive male partners. Another common difficulty faced by
women, according to Bermea et al. (2020), is children. Women often put their children first at the
expense of their safety. They are compelled into this situation due to fear that their husbands
might turn their aggression to them. Therefore, women in this situation decide to stay despite the
continuing abuse. Financial constraints are another factor that poses a difficulty for women to
leave their abusive male partners. Such financial constraints may include a lack of funds to cater
for themselves and their kids when they leave their abusive partners. Therefore, their decision to

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stay in an abusive relationship is for the children's benefit, who will need support from the father.
Lastly, Sears (2018) states that most women in an abusive relationship tend to stay because of an
intense desire to help and love their partners with the hopes that they could change them. These
women believe that their loyalty would change their husband and give them a better partner that
is not abusive.
References
Bermea, A. M., Khaw, L., Hardesty, J. L., Rosenbloom, L., & Salerno, C. (2020). Mental and
active preparation: Examining variations in women’s processes of preparing to leave
abusive relationships. Journal of interpersonal violence, 35(3-4), 988-1011.
Sears, K. P. (2018). Cultural perspectives on staying in and leaving abusive relationships:
African American and Jamaican American Women's Narratives. Journal of ...