ABSTRACT
Battered women's complex needs attest that woman abuse is more than a personal crisis. It is a public health problem which arises from traditional values that regard women as appropriate objects of violence and male control, from the chronic problem of women's continued economic disparity in a wealthy industrialized society, and from the gender-based division of labour regarding child care. Thus, while these women may no longer be in crisis from life-threatening violence, little has changed for most of them regarding traditional values of dependency on men in unhealthy, intimate relationships. Although the women are survivors, the fact that they continued to suffer and struggle with a myriad of issues and problems affirms the view that their struggles are rooted in issues and values beyond themselves as individuals. Their individual strength is necessary to maintain their lives free of abuse. But it is not sufficient to deal with problems of gender violence that are deeply rooted in society's value system.
