Synopsis

The informative and controversial findings in this book are based on two path-breaking national surveys of American families. Both show that while the family may be the central locus of love and support, it is also the locus of risk for those who are physically assaulted. The book provides a wealth of information on gender differences and similarities in violence, and on the effects of gender roles and inequality.

Two landmark American studies of violence from the National Family Violence survey form the basis of this book. Both show that while the family may be the central locus of love and support, it is also the locus of risk for those who are being physically assaulted. This is particularly true for women and children, who are statistically more at risk of assault in their own homes than on the streets of any American city. Physical Violence in American Families provides a wealth of information on gender differences and similarities in violence, and on the effects of gender roles and inequality. It is essential for anyone doing empirical research or clinical assessment.

Library Journal

A scholarly analysis of domestic violence by two sociologists who pioneered the use of survey research. With strong emphasis on the culture of violence, topics range from violence against pregnant women to the "drunken bum" theory of wife beating.

Biography

Murray A. Straus is the founder and co-director of the Family Research Laboratory, and professor of sociology at the University of New Hampshire. He has been president of the National Council on Family Relations and two other scientific societies. He is the author or co-author of numerous books, including Beating The Devil Out Of Them: Corporal Punishment in American Children; Understanding Partner Violence: Prevalence, Causes, Consequences, and Solutions; and Stress, Culture, and Aggression. In addition he has written over two hundred articles on the sociology of the family, South Asia, and rural sociology.

Richard J. Gelles is dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania, where he holds the Joanne T. and Raymond H. Welsh Chair of Child Welfare and Family Violence. He is the author of The Violent Home: A Study of Physical Aggression Between Husbands and Wives, Family Violence, and Behind Closed Doors: Violence in the American Family.