Thus, rather than a succession of isolated incidents, domestic violence is often a long-term, chronic condition which has a substantial cumulative effect on a woman's overall well being. Studies done globally including Vietnam, Australia and Zimbabwe suggest that victims may not seek help for 10 or more years after the abuse has started. While unequal gender relations are the root cause of violence, certain economic, social, and cultural factors may exacerbate the threat and reality of violence. In studying the intersection of gender, class, and ethnicity in examining gender-based violence, Saffioti concluded that if men do not dominate in class terms, they may exert gender power to compensate. Saffioti views gender-based violence not only as an assertion of male power, but also as a reaction to male impotency.
Social class is intimately related to economic status.
Middle class and wealthy women are not immune from domestic violence, of course, and many suffer in silence out of fear of being stigmatised. To date, there has been very little research conducted on policies addressing the issue of domestic violence in Vietnam. The small amount of research carried out on gender-related violence has tended to focus more on public incidences of violence, such as trafficking in women, child prostitution, and child sexual abuse. In 1997 the Vietnam Women's Union conducted a study on domestic violence. The most important finding of the study was that domestic violence against women appeared to be quite widespread.