Divorce has been used by battered women as a way to end their abusive experiences in many countries. However, in China, divorce has been controlled strictly by the government and social norms. It is not common for battered women in China to use divorce as a way out of an abusive relationship. This article explores how and why “enduring violence” has become a main coping strategy for battered women in rural China. The findings indicate that social, cultural, familial, and personal factors interact with each other to constitute the specific coping process for battered women. Qualitative methods are applied in data collection and analyses.
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