A national random sample of 1,092 women and 910 men were interviewed by telephone. Participants responded to questions about seeing their father ever hit their mother and other related subjects. Responses were rated on a scale from ''never' to 'often'.' Attitudes towards women's maternal and employment roles and about violence toward women were also measured. A total of 17 percent of the sample reported having witnessed parental hitting, and these persons are more often the victims of marital violence. Findings showed that the type of hitting reported varies by sex. More than one-half of the women saw the father hit the mother; both sexes saw the mother hit the father less often. However, parental hitting unexpectedly failed to significantly affect attitudes towards women's role. It did affect attitudes about blaming women for being raped, but the effect varied by sex. Income level and education also affected respondents' attitudes. Generally, the findings showed that men are more likely and women are less likely to approve of violence against women if they observe their fathers hitting their mothers. Four footnotes, 3 tables, and about 32 references are included. (Author/ERIC abstract modified)