Latino Protestants: Religion, Culture, and Violence Against Women

Abstract

The complicated histories that influence the ways in which contemporary Latinos define themselves, and are defined by others, form the backdrop for our discussion of Latino Protestants and violence against women. In addition to recognizing that each individual and family is unique, it is important for practitioners to remember that some aspects of violence against women are universal (e.g., men exerting power and control over their intimate partners) while others may be specific to the gender socialization and cultural values we will discuss later in this chapter. Finally, we should note that much of the research on Latinos focuses on people of Mexican origin; thus, we must be cautious when applying the results to other Latino subgroups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved). (chapter)