The analysis revealed that violence against women is a common yet underrecognized problem in the United States. An estimated 4 million women are abused by intimate partners each year; an estimated 20 percent of women have been raped. Much of the violence in women's lives occurs in the context of everyday activities and is associated with women's social and economic roles and circumstances. None of the existing social, psychological, and biological theories of violence adequately explains the level and nature of violence against women. Violence has physical, psychiatric, economic, and social consequences that can be profound, disabling, and costly. Pregnant women are especially vulnerable to battering. A significant amount of homelessness among single women and families results from domestic violence. Women who have experienced violence use more health care than other women, but current medical training does not adequately prepare health care providers to identify and treat women at risk or experiencing violence. Efforts to minimize and prevent violence against women will require cooperation among medical, social service, and law enforcement professionals; victims' advocates, family, and friends; media; policymakers; and women themselves. Footnotes, tables, reading list, list of resource organizations, and 203 references