ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses that the data analysed from twenty-five tape-recorded interviews with social network members from diverse class, race, and religious backgrounds, and focuses on their values regarding women, marriage, the family, and violence, and how these values intersected with the values of the women. It illustrates that the feminist ideal of one's mother does not necessarily influence a daughter to ask for familial support. Interviews also focused on how shelter staff deals with the battered women's childrearing practices. The chapter emphasizes physical abuse of wives and psychological abuse was included among the women's general descriptions of the violence they suffered, such as calling them insulting names, putting them down, criticizing and complaining. It suggests that the problem of stopping violence and offering assistance to battered women extends beyond natural social network members such as family and friends, since they may be as terrified as the women themselves and not know exactly how to intervene.
