Senior Capstone ℅ 2018

5-24-18

Does Education Diminish Mental, Sexual and Domestic Violence?: An

Autoethnography

Kayleen S. Hernandez
Los Angeles Leadership Academy HS, ksepulveda100492@laleadership.org
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Senior Capstone ℅ 2018

Does Education Diminish Mental, Sexual and Domestic Violence?: An

Autoethnography

Abstract

Domestic and sexual violence is well known for its effects on the human, consisting of

the specific research that is the role education plays in domestic violence, its positive

influence on the controversial topic of violence against women. the main objective is to

understand to the gratitude of the recurring events such as sexual and mental violence.

The ideas I have dedicated to converting my conductive research consists of many

background knowledge and individual credible research such as the different ways

education can prevent sexual violence. The research will consist of reliable research

regarding the everyday hardships of women dealing with sexual violence and domestic

violence, as well as conducting different viewpoints on the situation. Some studies

explain how education in a woman's life is essential not only for the well being and

benefit of the person but researchers also found that educated women are less likely to

face domestic violence or sexual abuse at home. Sexual abuse does not apply to a
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specific age group or ethnicity, abuse in all of its factors takes part in all ages of

women, especially children. The negative consequences of lack of education are visible

throughout a woman’s life.

Keywords:
Sexual assault, domestic violence.

Acknowledgements
To my mother and advisor who willingly supported me in the process of creating and
perfecting my research, and to all who presumed that this was not effortless for me, forever
gratified for the people who always accredited in me and my accomplishments, thank you.

Does Education Diminish Sexual and Domestic Violence?: An

Autoethnography

Kayleen S. Hernandez
Los Angeles Leadership Academy HS, Los Angeles, California, USA
 Hernandez 1

Abstract

Domestic and sexual violence is well known for its effects on the human, consisting of

the specific research that is the role education plays in domestic violence, its positive

influence on the controversial topic of violence against women. The the main objective

is to understand the gratitude of the recurring events such as sexual and mental

violence. The ideas I have dedicated to converting my conductive research consists of

many background knowledge and individual credible research such as the different

ways education can prevent sexual violence. The research will consist of reliable

research regarding the everyday hardships of women dealing with sexual violence and

domestic violence, as well as conducting different viewpoints on the situation. Some

studies explain how education in a woman's life is essential not only for the well being

and benefit of the person but researchers also found that educated women are less

likely to face domestic violence or sexual abuse at home. Sexual abuse does not apply

to a specific age group or ethnicity, abuse in all of its factors takes part in all ages of

women, at young ages. The negative consequences of lack of education are visible

throughout a woman’s life.

Analysis

Introduction
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Domestic and sexual violence is well known for its effects on the human, the specific

research that Is dedicated is the role education plays in domestic violence and sexual abuse its

positive influence on the controversial topic of violence against women. The main objective is to

understand to the gratitude of the recurring events such as sexual and mental violence. The ideas

I have dedicated to my convert my conductive research consists of many background knowledge

and individual credible research such as the different ways education can prevent sexual

violence. The research I have gathered contributing factors into abusive homes, underage girls

facing abuse, the lack of self-esteem in women, the recurring domestic violence in homes due to

men and alcohol consumption all play key roles in the everyday violence. From examining the

sexual, domestic, and mental violence amongst women it is clear that access to and receiving

educational certifications support and diminish traumatic experiences and domestic/sexual

violence occurring in homes.

Study of focus

Research will consist of conductive reliable research regarding the everyday hardships of

women dealing with sexual abuse and domestic violence, as well as different standing

viewpoints of the situation, given these various aspects of the paper also give argumentative

points stating that education actually has been proven by many researchers to diminish domestic

violence and sexual abuse all contributing to a better state of being for women.

Domestic violence

Some studies explain how education in a woman's life is essential for many reasons one

for the well being and benefit of the person but researchers have also found that educated women
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are less likely to undergo domestic violence and sexual abuse at home. According to one of the

articles ", one in three women said they thought wife-beating was justifiable, and women who

condoned domestic violence were more likely to experience it."(Khazan may 15, 2014) this is

true because study has shown that women who feel submissive to men are less likely to leave

even if abuse is in display just because they are blindly brainwashed and convinced that there is

no life outside of the relationship because they are so dependent on the income of the person

supporting them and though these acts are not justifiable, it is okay by many women prior to the

fact of them allowing it to happen. Research has also discovered that women who are

exceptionally educated experience minor sexual and domestic violence throughout their lives.

"The strongest correlate of women's sexual autonomy in a relationship is her level of

education,""(Khazan may 15, 2014) the report notes. "Overall, 87 percent of women with a

higher education say they can refuse sex. Women with some or completed secondary education

have an 11 and 36 percent lower risk of violence, respectively, compared with women with no

education." (Khazan may 15, 2014). Education can always avert sexual and domestic violence, it

is significant enough for researchers to acknowledge it as an essential factor."Generally, it is

assumed that a low literacy rate of women contributes as an important leading factor of domestic

violence. As uneducated women are economically less productive, it is typically the case that

they are seen to have a less bargaining power in the family"(Marium, May 2014). “the inferior

education level of women is an important component that correlates with domestic violence.

Therefore, this paper seeks to inquire if and how low level of women's education is an important

cause associated with household violence" (Sarah Marium, May 2014). Women who acquire a

higher level of education have been proclaimed to have stopped it when it advents them.

according to an article which accompaniments "greater years of schooling may provide women
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with an opportunity to gain knowledge and information which they often lack and as a result

become less vulnerable". (Marium, May 2014). Because the vulnerability seizes women, the act

of receiving an education reduces domestic violence in toxic relationships drastically and is of

significance to have.

Sexual abuse

Sexual abuse does not only appear to a specific age association of ethnicity, sexual acts

are targeted to women of all ages, in some cases these heinous acts transpire to children. The

negative impactful ramification of lack of education is conspicuous through a woman's life. An

uneducated woman is less adequate of accomplishing her own family planning decision. It is a

worldwide affair identified in many other countries than just the united states. According to some

research of minimal education in adolescent women, it concludes that "Low educational

attainment is both the cause and the consequence of child marriage: girls with less access to

education are more likely to marry early, and conversely, child marriage means the end of a girl's

education."(Santagostino December 2, 2015). Alike, in this case, the numbers are astounding:

without exception, millions of girls are married as children. Which later concluded that because

of early marriage in different areas of the world adolescent engagement not only has an

impingement against school dropout rates, experts studying the exclusive research on child

marriage "entails a number of poor health and social outcomes such as maternal mortality,

increased risks of HIV and domestic violence"(Santagostino December 2, 2015). The more

education a women acquires at the earliest stage possible, the better likelihood it becomes of not

covering any abuse conceivably, superiority of statistics about sexually corruptive women abide

that they are unable to financially support themselves because they are in the predicament of

such vulnerability, the need for education, therefore, becomes essential to compose a conclusive
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role. Because education is put at such essential role researchers found that "Women's leadership

and access to decision-making positions are also strictly dependent on educational attainment. In

the long term, the lack of education affects a girl's future capacity to seek and get employment

and to have an income. Economic independence is reflected not only in a woman's capacity to

spend, save, acquire property and invest but also in the freedom to get out of abusive domestic

relationships" (Santagostino Dec 2, 2015). Strategically speaking if there are vast numbers of

women, specifically young, convoluted with their own education we can specify that the number

of sexual and domestic violence will decrease drastically.

Mental health

the act of sexual domestic and mental abuse in general are something to be taken

seriously. Everything that happens has an effect, mental health then becomes an issue for women

who have been through the heinous acts of abuse, given research not many find the mental part

of abuse effective or of significance but it is actually one of the most important things to know

about when researching because mental abuse as a result to any sexual abuse leads to depression,

anxiety or in worse cases suicide. What many people are not aware of is despite how long it has

been since a person has been abused depression and anxiety tend to sneak their way into a

person's life at any point in given time. Most women don't realize the gratitude of the mental

incapability they are facing because they want to forget about what happened to them. Ptsd

becomes another concern when it comes to mental health according to research The “National

Women's study produced dramatic confirmation of the mental health impact of rape. The study
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determined comparative rates of several mental health problems among rape victims and non-

victims. The study ascertained whether rape victims were more likely than non-victims to

experience these devastating mental health problems. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder." (Dean G.

Kilpatrick 2000) Most people are never aware of until the suicides occur prior to rape because

the emotions were just to overwhelming, the feelings after sexual abuse include no self worth,

relentlessness, hopeless, angry, fear distress, nightmares, betrayal all concluding to thoughts of

suicide, research has shown "Many survivors do not have the support they need at the time. They

may see suicide as a way of escaping from overwhelming pain and distress; or as a way of taking

back control » Suicidal feelings can be confusing. You may not want to die. But you may feel

that you can no longer cope with what happened or how you feel now. Many people think about

suicide at some time in their life. If you are ending that you are thinking about how you would

end your life, or if you have a history of attempting suicide" (Rape Crisis Scotland Helpline

2013) Education helps with the coping of all the traumatic experiences, it keeps women occupied

with something to do to better their education and heal to push forward and overcome sexual

violence.

Opinion:

Sexual and domestic abuse even if it is a controversial topic, The importance of

understanding and becoming involved is significant because of exclusive areas of research has

uncovered that women with the ability to obtain an education already diminish the likeliness of

sexual and domestic violence, the moral act of assisting the offering of support it allows women

to better cope. concluded that if a woman has a higher education prominence she is relieving
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herself of secondary risks of assault. Given the evidence in my paper interprets the less

vulnerable a women perceives herself to be the less of a target she makes herself, education itself

plays a huge role in the domestic abuse. Some of its reasoning to less tolerance towards it from

women. If women feel the moral support from peers an have the benefit to get an education it is

strongly believed by myself and experts that a women with education are most likely to leave a

horrible domestic abuse marriage, relationship as opposed to a woman with little to no education

who chooses to put up with abuse simply because the feeling of having nothing is worse than

leaving certain situations. because education is such an essential generally, majority of my

research has found that education does help. I have learned that no matter what you are your own

person and you should never be entitled to abuse. It is something that can be avoided but it is

unfortunately inevitable. I know that education is not the only circumstance to prevent violence,

there are various tactics to obtain prevention. Education has thus far been proven to be one of

them.

Conclusion

the topic of sexual and domestic abuse is controversial, it is pretty obvious that no matter

what factors contribute to horrible acts nothing is enough to justify it for what it displays as an

act or wrong doing that carries on long term mental health concerns for the victims targeted, It is

also obvious that domestic and mental health is also very overlooked, because of this I encourage

anyone to speak out against violence to stop the cycle for good, no reason is a good reason for

intolerable acts like this to be committed. As a society of women of the future education is

essential to moving forward and leaving abusive relationships with our own intentions. More

communities should become educated on the impact of sexual abuse, and as a large group we
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should infer that not all women undergoing harassment understands the difficulty and distress of

it, to change and help diminish sexual, mental, and domestic violence we have a duty to display

and act towards any violence man or women, things happen to anyone time to make a change is

now. The examples I have given in my research are real life occurring tragedies happening every

day, mental violence is real, sexual harassment is real, domestic beatings are REAL! It can

happen to anyone in your family, make right choices and speak up against abuse. Assuming you

have read through my standing opinions and given facts I can only help we end the generation of

oppressive men and women everywhere to end such horrific events in the future.
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Khazan, O. (2014, May 15). Education Protects Women From Abuse. Retrieved from
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Marium, S. (May 24). Women’s Level of Education and Its Effect on Domestic ... Retrieved
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