At any given time, about how many US/Cdn women do you estimate are dealing with an abusive relationship?

There is no solid number on how many women are in an abusive relationship, and the numbers are hard to get on anything other than sexual and physical, given the subjectivity of what constitutes emotional and verbal abuse. Estimates range from 1 in 5 to about 1 in 10, covering all levels of abuse from minor to severe. As for what the numbers say, It would seem that the more severe are a result of anger and control issues, usually resulting from an abusive childhood. It has been shown that people who have been abused when they are children are more likely to repeat the process. How ever there is some studies that say that the more minor incidents are influenced by the way our society views the male/female gender roles, and the conflicting view that some males get as they grow up. (That is never an excuse, and in my opinion is a very weak stance unless referring to something very specific)