Many South Asian women live in extended families, but even if they do not, the extended family features very strongly in a positive or negative manner in their lives (Dosanjh et al, 1994). South Asian women are expected to devote themselves selflessly to the larger family group and define themselves in terms of their roles as wives and mothers

�Having in-laws at the scene does not appear to protect a woman from being beaten but rather exacerbate wife abuse� (Miller, 1992, p. 178). Sometimes a woman is not only abused by her husband, but her extended family, such as her husbands� parents, grandparents, siblings, their spouses, are involved in domestic violence against a woman as well (Dosanjh et al, 1994). In many cases, rather than asking their son to stop beating his wife, the in-laws told the wife not to say anything back as it can provoke their son (Dosanjh et al, 1994).





References:
Dosanjh, R., Deo, S., Sidhu, S. (1994). Spousal Abuse in the South Asian Community. Vancouver: Feminist

Research,Education, Development and Action (FREDA) Centre.
Miller, B. D. (1992). Wife-beating in India: variations on the theme. Sanctions and sanctuary: Cultural perspective on the

beating of wives , Colorado: Westview Press, chapter13, p. 173 to 183.


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