SOCIAL SOURCES OF MARITAL VIOLENCE AND DETERRENCE - TESTING AN INTEGRATED THEORY OF ASSAULTS BETWEEN PARTNERS

Theories of marital violence have typically emphasized single factors and have rarely been integrated to construct a more comprehensive explanation of assaults between partners. As a result, knowledge about marital violence is fragmented. This problem is addressed by presenting an integrated theory which builds on earlier work by Gelles (1983). The theory identifies attributes of intimate life assumed to reduce the deterrent efficacy of arrest and thus increase the probability of violence in marriage and marriage-like relationships. The theory is tested using national panel survey data on physical assaults between heterosexual married and cohabiting couples. The findings suggest that increased privacy, inequality, and legitimation of violence are associated with a reduction in perceived arrest costs and, therefore, the deterrence of assaults between partners. The policy and theoretical implications of the findings are discussed.