Researchers conducted qualitative interviews with 19 residents of a domestic violence shelter in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The interview schedule included questions regarding the women's experiences with abuse, violent victimization, and help-seeking. The women interviewed were diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, age, educational attainment, socioeconomic class, and occupation. Five of the women reported being consistently poor and/or homeless prior to their stay at the shelter. These women rarely maintained employment for any length of time. Ten women reported being lower or working class; some of these women had not worked very often, but rather had relied on the income of their abusers. Others in this group had worked, but their abusers' tactics often interrupted their employment and prevented long-term economic stability. Those who had retained consistent employment described jobs that paid low wages, offered few if any fringe benefits, and were predominantly located in the service or manufacturing industries. Four women described themselves as middle class. They had obtained jobs that paid well and offered fringe benefits and promotional opportunities; however, these women were in financial difficulty, since they had either spent their savings, lost or quit their jobs, or had their money stolen by their abusers. Overall, the women described conditions in which battering had impeded their ability to find work, maintain employment, and use their wages to establish greater economic independence and safety away from the abuser. Policy implications of the findings are discussed. 76 references