While there are many commonalties for women who are abused, the rural factors definitely shape the perception, awareness, and intervention of all forms of abuse, including emotional abuse. The challenges and interventions are not as easily reduced to just the provision of services to a small scattered population in a large geographic area, but must be informed by the rural context and culture. This article will focus on 3 common themes or challenges - the family farm, the rural culture, and the geography. The Family Farm You can not talk about the farm family without talking about the family farm.
Partners work together in the barn and fields, children alongside.
The boardroom is the kitchen table or the bedroom. Emotional abuse often takes the form of blame for anything going wrong in the business, and by criticizing a woman' s work. Business ownership is a particular dilemma for women who wish to leave. They leave behind their home, their community, their animals, their business assets, and their job. Most farm partners are not paid a wage, therefore, no unemployment contributions can be made, no pension plan, and no access to welfare if the system thinks they have access to business assets.