Monique McPherson 2
Abstract: The United States is a country of vast diversity. According to the 2000 United
States Census, an estimated 11% of the population is foreign-born. This research project
examines the extent to which domestic abuse in immigrant families, particularly Korean,
Vietnamese, Mexican, and Jamaican foreign- born populations, is rooted in cultural
practices as the result of male insecurities that surface as they try to adapt to a new
society, in this case The United States.
Introduction:
An estimated 6 million American women are physically abused one or more times
each year and 1.8 million women are severely battered each year (Strauss, 1991; Yoko &
Murray 2003). Furthermore in a report published by the Mayor’s Office, foreign-born
women were notably more likely to be killed by their domestic partners than US born
women (2002:5). Looking to the factors leading to domestic abuse in foreign born
married couples there are several prevalent factors. A key contributor is the importance
of a newfound economic independence experienced by foreign-born wives and husbands’
insecurities as a result, contribute to marital conflict and domestic violence. The common
thread in domestic violence cases is rooted in mainly patriarchal cultural practices. Men
from patriarchal societies want to hold on to their cultural beliefs and practices but find it
hard to do when women adopt more egalitarian notions attributed to their economic
contributions to the household. Men have a hard time accepting this and resort to a
physical form of control.
According to the US Census (2000) the population of foreign-born living in the
United States is 31,107,889, which accounts for 11% of the total US population. Of the
Convention