There is a tendency to overlook the diversity within and between rural communities and to view them as a homogenous group. Class, ethnicity, occupational status and gender are strong modes of social differentiation, as much in rural as in metropolitan areas. Towns within regions differ in their social structure and political influences.  They are often parochial and residents may not employ a regional perspective. Indeed, without understanding the unique characteristics of a rural environment, it is impossible to respond appropriately and fully to women there who experience family violence.

Factors compounding difficulties for rural women living with family violence may include:

• Geographic isolation;
• A lack of public transport;
• A lack of telecommunication technology and infrastructure;
• A lack of crisis accommodation;
• A lack of financial support;
• The prevalence of weapons and therefore increased lethality;
• A lack of understanding of the nature and dynamics of family violence (a perception that violence must be physical) and the normalisation of violence;
• A significant culture of mateship and masculinity reinforcing, minimising and condoning the use of violence;
• Fears of breaches of confidentiality if family violence is disclosed;
• The often complicated financial, business and property arrangements in farming families and a reluctance to leave the farming lifestyle or animals.

Women living in rural areas are sometimes at great distances from support services. Physical isolation means that women may have no social supports around them. They may live a distance from the nearest available childcare or other community supports, there may be few job opportunities and inadequate public transportation which can increase the vulnerability of women in rural areas to family violence. Women are particularly susceptible to social isolation and financial control, further exacerbated by the prevalence of weapons such as guns in rural areas.

In addition to geographical isolation, cultural values including strong allegiance to the land, family ties and traditional gender roles also increase the challenges faced by rural women in attempting to establish a life free from violence.

Personal factors which can exacerbate rural women's experience of family violence may include their race, ethnicity, ability/disability, sexual preference and age. For rural women who are Indigenous, from culturally or linguistically diverse backgrounds, have disability, are lesbian or are older, these issues are exacerbated. 

A perceived lack of anonymity and confidentiality presents a barrier to seeking assistance for women living with family violence in rural communities. Where the population is small and interconnected, for instance, the local police officer may know a woman, and the perpetrator or both of them and, consequently, may be less likely to recognise the severity of an assault or be willing to intervene.

Dominant, often conservative, ideologies contribute to the folklore that underpins how violence against women is regarded. Rural communities are frequently characterised as being conservative and harmonious. These assumptions conceal the negative consequences of how women are perceived when they challenge the dominant rural ideology.

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