FOR 1975, 24 OUT OF 100,000 REPORTED CASES OF ABUSE IN NEW CASTLE COUNTY ARE CONTRASTED WITH 7,016 OUT OF 100,000 ESTIMATED CASES OF ABUSE, WHERE THE WIFE IS THE VICTIM. IF THE SAME RATIO OF UNDERREPORTING EXISTS FOR CASES OF HUSBANDBEATING, THE ESTIMATED RATE IS 574 PER 100,000, AS OPPOSED TO 2 OUT OF 100,000 CASES ACTUALLY REPORTED DURING THE SAME YEAR. MEN ARE RELUCTANT TO REPORT ABUSE SUFFERED AT THE HANDS OF THEIR WIVES, DUE TO THE MALE-DOMINATED NATURE OF SOCIETY WHICH EXPECTS MEN TO BE STRONGER, PHYSICALLY DOMINANT, AND MORE AGGRESSIVE THAN WOMEN. A RANDOM SAMPLE OF 57 INTACT FAMILIES CONTAINING 2 OR MORE CHILDREN BETWEEN THE AGES OF 3 AND 18 RESIDING AT HOME WAS SELECTED, AND DATA WERE COLLECTED FROM SEMISTRUCTURED, IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS WITH A PARENT, A QUESTIONNAIRE ADMINISTERED TO A PARENT AND A CHILD, AND DIARIES IN WHICH ALL FAMILY CONFLICTS, THE PARTICIPANTS INVOLVED, AND THE METHOD OF RESOLUTION WERE RECORDED FOR A 1-WEEK PERIOD. OVER 60 PERCENT OF THE FAMILIES EXPERIENCED SOME FORM OF MARITAL VIOLENCE THEIR WIVES, DUE TO THE MALE-DOMINATED NATURE OF PHYSICALLY VIOLENT ACTS. ALTHOUGH THE DATA SUGGEST CONSIDERABLE SIMILARITY IN THE METHODS USED BY MALES AND FEMALES TO RESOLVE MARITAL CONFLICT, THE MEN TEND TO DO MORE DAMAGE. REASONS TRADITIONALLY OFFERED FOR THIS DIFFERENCE ARE: (1) WOMEN ARE TAUGHT BETTER IMPULSE CONTROL AND STOP AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR BEFORE ANY DAMAGE OCCURS; (2) BECAUSE WOMEN ARE MORE VERBAL THAN MEN, MEN RESORT TO PHYSICAL MEANS TO SUPPORT THEIR DOMINANT POSITION; AND (3) BECAUSE OF THEIR GREATER PHYSICAL STRENGTH, MEN ARE CAPABLE OF CAUSING MORE DAMAGE TO THEIR WIVES. THE DATA FROM THE STUDY, HOWEVER, DO NOT SUPPORT THE FIRST TWO THEORIES; THE LAST REASON IS MORE PLAUSIBLE: THE HUSBAND'S GREATER STRENGTH, COMBINED WITH THE WIFE'S CONCOMITANT INABILITY TO RESTRAIN HIM, RESULTS IN CONSIDERABLY MORE DAMAGE. IN TERMS OF REDUCING SPOUSEBEATING, A MECHANISM WHICH WILL PROVIDE IMMEDIATE PROTECTION FROM FURTHER ABUSE BY THE BATTERING SPOUSE IS NEEDED, ALONG WITH A LONG-TERM SOLUTION WHICH INVOLVES THE REEDUCATION OF FAMILY MEMBERS, STARTING WITH YOUNG CHILDREN, IN HOW TO DEAL WITH PROBLEMS IN A NONVIOLENT MANNER. TABULAR STATISTICS AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (DAS)