Woman abuse is rooted in the social, economic, and political inequality of women. Traditional attitudes and the hierarchical structuring of society have supported the dominance of the male and the subservience of the female. Anger and aggressiveness are considered appropriate ways to resolve conflict, particularly for men. Social and legal traditions have also allowed woman abuse to be treated as a private matter within the family home.

Abusive behaviour does not result from individual, personal or moral deficits, diseases, diminished intellect, addiction, mental illness, poverty, the other person’s behaviour or external events. Perpetrators act from a set of beliefs and attitudes about how men and women should relate in intimate relationships. Men who are abusive generally believe that they have the right to enforce their will on their female partners. The abuser’s choice to use any form of abuse is completely independent of the actions of the victim.