ditional Chinese attitudes toward female adultery (p. 65).Its hard to believe that twenty years ago women had virtually no legal protection from abuse by their partners. Domestic violence cuts across all social and economical classes. A study done by Richard Gelles, Ph.D, Director of the Family Violence Research program at the University of Rhode Island. "The incidence of violence did decrease exponentially as wealth increased. But still, nearly 20 out of ever 1000 women with income over $40,000 reported severe violence. Thats a lot of Park Avenue Abuse" (Torr & Swisher, 1999). We are socialized to believe that men are physically stronger and better able enforce protection in the home for the wife and children from possible outside threats. So, society has gone to great lengths to protect the image of the "good" father, provider, and husband. Also, stressed in our society is the role of the woman to Domestic Violence 5make the man happy, to produce and rear children. The image of the "good" wife and mother is one of endless helpfulness, smiling patience, and good cook and housekeeper. Yet, society surrounds this "nurturing" family with all kinds of violence, in media, movies, music, history, and pornography. Society has turned its back on the possibility that violence has become a way of life in todays family. Parents do beat, torture and kill small children and teenagers. Men do beat, torture, and kill their partners unless she beats him to the draw (Torr & Swisher, 1999). The largest single category of murder victims in the United States consists of person related to the assailants. In a California study, one-third of all female murder victims were killed by their husbands. One-fourth of these victims were pregnant. In 1973 approximately 124,000 wife-abuse complaints reached New York courts. Today wife and child beating are among the most common crimes in America (Torr & Swisher, 1999). Only the victim can assess lethality,...
