{"id":13564,"date":"2025-04-08T10:31:42","date_gmt":"2025-04-08T15:31:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.navpress.com\/sites\/thedisciplemaker\/?p=13564"},"modified":"2025-04-10T08:32:25","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T13:32:25","slug":"why-women-stay-in-abusive-relationships-and-how-to-get-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.navpress.com\/sites\/thedisciplemaker\/2025\/04\/why-women-stay-in-abusive-relationships-and-how-to-get-out\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Women Stay in Abusive Relationships\u2014and How to Get Out"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I often hear the question \u201cWhy do women stay in abusive relationships?\u201d This question almost always lands judgmentally. It\u2019s as if the person is saying, \u201cYou must be stupid for staying in such a toxic relationship.\u201d It\u2019s also a shaming question and a major deterrent that makes it hard for women to seek help and support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women stay for a host of reasons.<\/strong> Financially, many women find it too difficult to start over and earn enough income to take care of themselves and in many cases their children as well. Emotionally, women often have a hard time leaving intimate partners when there\u2019s domestic violence. A woman in an abusive relationship may be too afraid to leave. Or maybe she met her partner during a vulnerable time in her life. Perhaps she and her partner grew up together. Or maybe this partner once helped her out in a meaningful way, and she feels indebted to him. Sometimes the emotional entanglement is so profound that women become frozen, unable to remove themselves from the very relationship that is inflicting harm on them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some cultures, it\u2019s allowed and acceptable for husbands to beat their wives and emotionally abuse them into submission. I want to challenge these culturally accepted norms and call the people of God to live above culture. Christ is our ultimate example.<\/strong> He is our ultimate guide, and he leads with grace and love, not striving for power and control. No household should follow cultural norms above Christ\u2019s example.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naming the Signs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Women from all over the world know what love is, what it feels like, and how they should be treated. What often keeps them from expressing those needs is a society obsessed with debasing women while nurturing an atmosphere where violence can flourish. We live in a society obsessed with power and control, and the thought of losing these things often leads to violence. As humans, we are created to respond to love, respect, and compassion in all our relationships.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I ask women about naming the signs that a relationship is unhealthy and possibly unsafe, this is what they say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n