183
Structures of Opportunity and Structures of Constraint
There is no divorce, unless the husband kicks out the wife. —Urban man, neighborhood of Kragujevac, Serbia
Figure 5.7 Where People Turn for Help with Family Conflict 180
Frequency of mention
160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0
Family
State institutions Urban
Informal institutions
Rural
Note: Data from 388 young adult and adult focus groups.
In a semi-rural community of Ngonyameni, South Africa, according to the women’s focus group, the new gender laws “have changed nothing here. We do not have any job opportunities, our husbands assault us, and most of the time the tribal court favors the man. So really nothing has changed. These laws apply only to urban areas.” Similarly, in rural East Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea, women said that neither the police nor the churches will get involved in domestic violence matters. And while they mentioned that non governmental organizations (NGOs) can help women get access to the courts, a young woman claimed that “most women are afraid of their husbands and do not pursue claims in the District Court for maintenance.” In Sigatoka, Fiji, women reported that “nobody divorces in our village. You can’t just fight with your husband and then want to divorce. This is a Fijian village. There is always a way to solve marital disagreements.” Focus groups of both women and men made plain that individuals or couples seeking temporary or permanent separation are strongly discouraged by peer pressure, community opinions, and threats of unfair treatment. Women face complete destitution, permanent separation from their children (“the children don’t belong to her, they belong to her husband”), and lasting ostracism from the community. Bride price and dowries that pass assets across family networks and down to husbands or wives further complicate divorce processes. In both Papua On Norms and Agency • http://dx.doi.org/10.1596/978-0-8213-9862-3