Male domination and patriarchy have been under challenge by feminists and the women's movement in recent decades. The economic, social and political subjection of women around the world, the violence brought against them and their confinement to the domestic sphere have been analyzed and denounced in academic studies. Most people want to build a new society where gender is not the central factor discriminating between individuals, who should be free to choose the life styles that suit them. Men have, in general, been socialized to hide their innermost thoughts and feelings. As young boys they are socialized to believe that if they are open about their feelings they would be considered weak and/or not manly by their peers. "Being strong" and "being a man" meant creating a tough exterior, and not allowing anyone to penetrate that hard shell. Men who batter women have never learned how to cope successfully with angry feelings. Life is full of events that cause us immense stress and frustration, but the abusive male does not have the communication skills necessary for resolving the conflict passively. What is violence against women? For some people, the answer to this question is simple - an intentional physical act such as a kick, punch, push, choke, or bite, that results in a physical injury. Many people accept this definition of woman abuse inasmuch as they believe that if you don't need stitches, you"re not hurt. Most researchers have limited their attention to non-lethal, non-sexual assaults. Unfortunately, this focus on physical assaults does not reflect the brutal reality of many women's lives. We are inclined to agree with the feminist point of view that any definition of woman abuse must incorporate a much broader range of behaviours. Feminists argue that woman abuse refers to anything a male has done or not done to his partner that is perceived as psychologically, socially, economically, or physically harmful.
