sical act such as a kick, punch, push, choke, or bite, that results in a physical injury. Many people accept this definition of woman abuse inasmuch as they believe that if you don’t need stitches, you’re not hurt. Most researchers have limited their attention to non-lethal, non-sexual assaults. Unfortunately, this focus on physical assaults does not reflect the brutal reality of many women’s lives. We are inclined to agree with the feminist point of view that any definition of woman abuse must incorporate a much broader range of behaviours. Feminists argue that woman abuse refers to anything a male has done or not done to his partner that is perceived as psychologically, socially, economically, or physically harmful. It would be nice if we could simply point out the factors that cause this violence against women. Unfortunately, this is all but impossible due to the ‘human factor’. That is to say – there is considerable variation among human beings. Violence against women varies according to income, education, age, marital status, employment status, religion, occupational status, and race/ethnicity. However, many correlates that increase the probability of violence have been identified. Men who believe in a set of familial patriarchal attitudes and beliefs that support male power and control over women are more likely to abuse females. The existence of an influential male peer support group. Men who are verbally encouraged by their friends to abuse women are much more likely to do so. Another correlate is alcohol consumption, most studies of violence against women note that alcohol often seems to be a related factor. Some researchers suggest that men use alcohol as an excuse – I’m sorry but I’m drunk. Power Versus Feminist Theories of Wife Abuse To what extent does the patriarchal system or power affect or influence women abuse? While examining “Power versus feminist theories,” it is important to acknowledge what is known about our research question. Feminist theories have focused much of their attention on structured gender inequality on a societal level. This automatically disadvantages women in terms of their economic status, educational level, and legal representativeness. Men who witness abuse while growing up as a child, who have been unemployed, who are married in a common law relationship, and those who have a low family income are more likely to adapt a patriarchal ideology which in turn is more likely to lead to an abusive male partner. Researchers have attempted to answer the many questions associated with wife abuse and have been successful in some areas yet neglect important issues. Power theories focus on the strains of everyday interaction in a relationship that generate conflict that leads to abuse. The family system responds to broad social-structural conditions that produce stress and conflict. This reveals that low-income families, and families where one or more adults are unemployed, or when the husband has a low-status job all experience high levels of stress. It is situations like these where violence against women is used as a coping method for men. The feminist response to power theories believe that the power theory evaluate the family with isolation from the patriarchal system of which it is largely a part of. Through historical case studies feminists argue that male dominance is a key factor in wife abuse. The primary source of wife abuse is believed to be due to the wife’s failure to live up to her husbands’ expectations of being a good wife. This theory emphasizes how men learn abusive behavior through a male culture that encourages violence through a patriarchal system. Although these findings are important and relative to our analysis, it is important to be aware that violence against women is poorly theorized and deserves a broader focus in order to answer why it occurs, to whom it happens, and who is most likely to abuse their spouse. The Violence Against Women Survey

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