Abstract
Using information on spousal violence and decision making from a recent survey, this research addresses two issues pertaining to marital power in Mexican families. The first issue is the accuracy of various portraits of marital power. The results show that wives face diverse circumstances. Husband dominance is neither universal nor insurmountable. The second issue is whether marital power is associated with processes specified in the modernization or marginalization perspectives on the consequences of development. Consistent with the modernization perspective, educational attainment is a key variable affecting wives' exposure to domestic violence, likelihood of having an equal say in decisions, and satisfaction with influence in decisions. The results also suggest that economic opportunities per se are overemphasized in both perspectives.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1291-1317 |
Number of pages | 27 |
Journal | Social Forces |
Volume | 75 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 1997 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- History
- Anthropology
- Sociology and Political Science