by Philip W. Cook

About the author: Philip W. Cook is a former broadcast journalist who won awards for his reporting from the Associated Press and the Professional Journalism Society.

Consider this statement: A patriarchal societal structure exists that has as its basis the subjugation of women. Given this structure, women in an abusive relationship have fewer resources than men by which to escape. It is this patriarchy that condones and accepts violence against women. Domestic violence against men should not be placed on a par with domestic violence against women, since the violence against women is a result of a male-dominated society.

This argument is repeated, in one form or another, in virtually all of the books about domestic violence. Historically, one would have had to agree with it. The...