ABSTRACT
Various forms of male violence against female intimates—whether wives, ex-wives, cohabitors, or dating partners—have become highly politicized topics for the general public, researchers, policy-makers, and the mass media. This chapter explains violence against women in heterosexual relationships; discusses the incidence, prevalence, and distribution of this problem within Canada; and critiques five different policy responses. It compares Canadian data with those gathered in the US and provides some brief suggestions for further policy development. The chapter agrees with the feminist argument that physical assaults, economic abuse, and psychological abuse should all be considered forms of violence. It reviews the current state of sociological knowledge on only the first of these three problems, namely, violence is defined as any intentional sublethal physical assault on a woman by a husband, estranged husband, cohabitor, or dating partner. Although male-to-female violence occurs among all Canadian socio-economic groups, the highest rates are found among lower-class people.
