This Study looks at physical abuse in order to gain an understanding into why women continue to remain in physically abusive relationships. Hypotheses which focus either particularly on the profiles of the casualties and culprits or on the family unit or outer strengths are addressed. This article also reviews social class and what contribution it makes to the choice women make to stay in an abusive relationship. By including social class in the study, the researchers revealed that women that were in a lower social class and that had limited education were most likely to remain in a relationship where they were being physically harmed. The study was completed using six surveys in Australia. This article was written for a general audience.
