Wife assault is not a widespread problem. Wife assault occurs more often among certain groups of people. However, violence in more affluent groups is often hidden because these women use shelters, legal clinics and other social services less often. Assaulted women could leave their abusive partners if they wanted to. A woman may stay in an abusive relationship for many reasons.
Women often provoke assaults and deserve what they get.
Assaulted women report a wide range of incidents that trigger violence. Abusive men often claim their partner provoked an assault to avoid responsibility for their own behaviour. In fact, the true source of violence is the batterer's desire for power and control over his partner. Men who assault their partners are mentally ill. Most men who assault their partners are not violent outside the home.