Within the traditional culture of Iran, men maintain all of the power within a family, including full custody over any children. Although it is not a common occurrence, if a woman were to try leaving her husband, she would be forced to go to court in order to gain custody of her children. Many Iranian women who experience domestic violence in the United States refuse to think about the idea of divorce for the sole reason that they are worried that they will lose their children. In Iran, women feared the entire judicial system, as they had few to no rights within it. Additionally, there is a common belief that any father is better than no father. Mastaneh strives to express to these women that unfortunately this is untrue and staying in an abusive marriage can have profound consequences for their children. Children that grow up exposed to domestic violence at home are 90 times more likely to become victims or perpetrators of domestic violence themselves.

Because of the cultural variances concerning the United States and Iran, there is a constant struggle of internal power and strength within Iranian women. Westernized American women refer to strength as the ability to fight for and express themselves; this would be considered a weakness in the Iranian culture. Western culture focuses on women standing up for themselves and sharing their hardships, allowing others to learn from their pain and support them, which, in Iranian culture, would likewise be a sign of weakness. Strength in the Iranian culture is displayed by how quiet people can be no matter how badly they are hurting, in order to save face for their family.

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