Empowering Healthy Relationships

March is National Women's History Month. The 2012 theme is Women's Education - Women's Empowerment. Perhaps one way to celebrate women this month is to take a look at ways we can empower young women to recognize the signs they are in unhealthy romantic relationships. Dating related violence affects more than 1.5 million high school students and girls and young women between the ages of 16 and 24 experience the highest rate of intimate partner violence - almost triple the national average (http://www.loveisrespect.org/is-this-abuse/dating-violence-statistics). According to LoveIsRespect.com, young people who are victims of domestic violence are at higher risk for substance abuse, eating disorders, risky sexual behavior and further domestic violence.


As members of a women's organization with a large college-aged population, Delta Zeta members are poised to be able to educate our youngest members about the characteristics of a healthy relationship. Though any relationship, whether it be with a parent, roommate or friend, can become unhealthy, romantic relationships can be especially hard for young women to identify as abusive. Maybe they don't think the behavior is harmful, or perhaps they are caught up in the cycle of power and control (http://www.breakthecycle.org/dating-violence-101) Whatever the reason, here are some signs from LoveIsRespect.com that a relationship has become unhealthy:

• Checking your cell phone or email without permission
• Constantly putting you down
• Extreme jealousy or insecurity
• Explosive temper
• Isolating you from family or friends
• Making false accusations
• Mood swings
• Physically hurting you in any way
• Possessiveness
• Telling you what to do

We encourage our chapters or members to contact someone from your campus counseling department for more information on healthy relationships. It is important to help break the cycle of dating violence and you are in the position to educate not only the women in your chapter, but those around you.

 

 

http://www.loveisrespect.org/

http://www.k-state.edu/counseling/topics/relationships/relatn.html

http://www.breakthecycle.org/