For many of us, men and women alike, any sort of physical or mental abuse towards one’s romantic partner is absolutely intolerable.  After all, in today’s world, the most successful relationships, at least in my opinion are those that are egalitarian, i.e.  equality between both partners. 

Long gone are the days where women were subservient to their male counterparts in a romantic relationship, i.e.  it’s not 1800 anymore folks.  But as we know, abusive relationships still exist (I’m not saying “old style” relationships were abusive) in many forms, especially those that involve mental or physical abuse.  The question then is why do we still see abuse relationships in these egalitarian times? Let’s find out. 

Domestic Abuse Today
Unless you have been living in a closet for most of your life, domestic abuse is still a major problem in countless countries today.  As we will see, there are many reasons why partners abuse partners in mental or physical capacities, but what about the prevalence of such abhorring acts? In Canada, it is estimated that 653,000 women and 546,000 men are physically abused every year.  Looking at the United States, it is estimated that 1.3 million women and 835,000 men are physically assaulted by a romantic partner every year. 

Clear mental abuse statistics are hard to come by, as many cases go unreported or underreported in both Canada and the United States.  Needless to say though, cases of psychological abuse by one partner or another probably far exceed physical abuses cases.