Date of Award
2014
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Sociology
Abstract
This study explores the experiences of ten Mexican women currently receiving services with Safe Pathways, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing resources to survivors of domestic violence. In this study, I attend to how these women experience and negotiate gender, intimate relationships, and the legal system, and I explore the strategies that they develop to overcome gendered constraints associated with being undocumented and battered. I find that women's experiences with the legal system are shaped by a variety of factors outside of its auspices, including gendered norms and class constraints. Existing literature on Latinas and battered women in the legal system has mostly focused on improving cultural resources; my findings complement this literature by showing that broader, non-institutional factors must also be addressed to achieve greater parity in and outside of U.S. institutions.
Recommended Citation
Espinosa, Martha Cecilia, "Domestic Violence and the Legal System: A Case Study of 10 Mexican Women and the Process of Seeking Legal Recourse" (2014). Master's Theses. 2783.
https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_theses/2783
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2014 Martha Cecilia Espinosa
