Attitudes toward domestic violence: a cultural perspective

This study examines the effect of acculturation on the attitudes held by Ethiopian Jews in Israel toward domestic violence (DV). The study findings revealed the following: Ethiopians who immigrated to Israel (n = 31) held more lenient attitudes toward DV than Israeli born Jews (n = 62), which supported the hypothesis that culture influences attitudes toward DV; in addition, Ethiopians born in Israel (n = 29) held attitudes closer to those of Israeli-born Jews who were not from Ethiopian origin, thus supporting the hypothesis that integration into the host country results in changes in DV attitudes. These are important findings due to the extremely high number of DV episodes among immigrant populations in general and Ethiopian Jews living in Israel in particular. This study may provide optimism in that it is probable that the younger generation will prove to be less violent than the first-generation immigrants. Perhaps one conclusion that can be drawn is the importance of expediting the integration process of the second-generation Ethiopian Jews in Israel.