Dynamics Of Help Seeking Among Battered Women In Spousal Relationships In Nakuru West Subcounty, Kenya

Abstract

Family stability is the nucleus to a functioning society. Wife battering has been recognized as a hindrance to this stability as it not only adversely affects women but also their children who are the future of any society. It was against this background that this study was carried out to examine the dynamics of help seeking among battered women in spousal relationships in Nakuru West Sub County, Kenya. Nakuru West Sub-County was purposively selected because though the vice occurs in many families in the area, very few cases are reported in the area thus making it necessary to identify factors influencing help seeking choices among battered women. The study was guided by three objectives namely; To examine the help seeking strategies used by battered women in spousal relationships in Nakuru West Sub County; To explore factors that influence help seeking among battered women in spousal relationships in Nakuru West Sub County and finally To identify ways by which battered women in spousal relationships access information on help seeking in Nakuru West Sub County. The study was guided by two theories; Battered Women Syndrome Theory and Survivor Theory. The sample size for the study consisted of 88 respondents. Snowball and purposive sampling methods were used to identify the sample size required. A qualitative research methodology employing an Interview Schedule, Focus Group Discussions and Key Informants Guides was employed as the tools of data collection and data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS version 17) was used for analysis. The study found that majority (80.0%) of the battered women do not seek help. The respondents argued that a variety of factors deter help seeking including concern for children, protecting family, fear, culture, personal believes just to mention but a few. The study also found that women are not just passive actors in response to spousal abuse but also use a variety of informal and formal strategies of help seeking. Findings from this study indicate that majority 35 (58.3%) respondents do not have information of available help for battered women. The study also found that majority (84.9%) of women seek information on safety while only (16.1%) seek information on legal redress to the vice. Findings demonstrate that the main challenges (84.3%) to elimination of wife battering are culture and male dominance. This study recommends social solutions to wife battering because findings conclude that it is a social problem. The study recommends that policies administration on wife battering be more stringent to eliminate the vice thereby eliminating conflicts in homes and by extension ensure peace in families and ultimately a stable society.