Comparison of East, Southeast Asian and South Asian communities

Within Asian communities there is great ethnic and cultural diversity, as well as some broad similarities. Yoshioka et al. (2001) found that although general themes among Asian cultures exist (such as emphasis on harmonious interpersonal relations and rejection of outside intervention); significant differences in attitudes supporting partner abuse were demarcated by ethnicity.

East and South East Asian families and communities share many characteristics, whilst the key differences with South Asian cultures revolve around dowry-giving and the acceptability of the husbands right to ‘discipline’ his wife. These differences and similarities are broadly outlined below.

Similarities across East and Southeast Asian cultures

• Family structures and traditions are modelled on Confucian principles that set up the social hierarchy and define attitudes appropriate for each member in society. Confucianism says that women are expected to obey their husbands and to support their children with absolute devotion (Ryu, 2010).
• Traditional family hierarchies exist which are age and gender specific with older, adult males invested with formal power and authority.
• Extended, patrilineal households comprise parents residing with adult married sons, their wives, and children.
• There is high value placed on family harmony, and the greater needs of the family take precedence over the needs of any individual member.
• Within the household, informal power resides with the husband’s mother, and wives are expected to be obedient to their husbands and their in-laws.
• In daily activities, this is particularly reflected in deference and obedience to a woman’s mother-in-law.

Key cultural differences with South Asian cultures

The Hindu customary practice of dowry-giving is a key difference that sets South Asian communities apart from East/Southeast Asian communities. A dowry can be defined as a gift of money or valuables given by the bride’s family to the groom and his family. If the dowry a woman brings to the family is not regarded as adequate, it can become a cause of abuse for a woman following marriage.

Secondly, there is a high level of acceptance of partner abuse as a way of teaching, disciplining, or correcting wives in South Asian communities. In an American study, Hindu women identified abuse as physical, mental, verbal, emotional, and economic (Mason et al., 2008). Participants in the study, included two additional forms of abuse, comparative abuse (i.e., “when the husband frequently compares his wife to other women and constantly puts her down”) and isolation (e.g., “limiting contacts,” “neglect”) (Mason et al., 2008).