"Many Endure Because of What People Will Say." Psychological Gender-Based Violence in Spanish Rural Women

Gender-based violence, understood as the most extreme expression of asymmetric power relations based on gender, aims primarily to perpetuate inequalities, acting as a significant obstacle to progress toward equality. The psychological gender-based violence manifests as a prelude to a complex scenario of abuse within and outside heterosexual partner relationships and emerges as the main strategy of abusers to exert their system of dominance. In rural areas, this type of violence takes on specific nuances, conditioned by demographic, familial, and socioeconomic factors. The aim of this study is to analyze how the rural context influences in this case, shedding light on the needs, proposals, and opportunities for intervention and prevention in these territories. To achieve this, a qualitative study is presented, based on in-depth interviews and discussion groups with women who have experienced psychological gender-based violence and specialists in gender-based violence of Spain (N = 27). The results show the sociocultural difficulties that arise in rural environments related to psychological gender-based violence, affecting the experience and impact on women, further intensifying their concealment. The social pressure and stigma associated with disclosing situations of gender-based violence are more prominent due to close relationships and the small size of the population. These factors represent significant barriers that discourage women from taking the step to seek help or report. The support network formed by the community, feminist associations, and specialized professionals can be of vital importance and can make a significant difference in the recovery of victims and in the cessation of gender-based violence in these contexts. There is an urgent need to incorporate the assessment of psychological risk into evaluation tools, inter-institutional coordination, and support programs adapted to rural reality.