Does a victim of violence by the opposite sex stand a better chance of recovering psychologically if...?

This is from a court case on the subject filed on behalf of the battered women`s shelters.

"It is vital that battered women be housed separately from men and be allowed to receive specialized treatment to help them overcome their emotional and physical injuries. If the status quo is not maintained, women will be strongly deterred from going to a shelter because they will no longer have the same level of safety, privacy and comfort and may fear for the safety of themselves and their young children in the presence of strange men. The shelters are often in secret locations to protect women from their abusers and, if the shelters are opened to both men and women, this would make it more difficult to prevent a man from going to a shelter to locate his partner and subject her to further assaults or even death. Ultimately, this would likely cause many women to stay with and/or return to their batterers prematurely." ...

"Battered woman have a more difficult time then men in escaping their situations for many reasons. One major factor is fear, especially fear for her personal safety and that of her children.

The initial separation of the victim from the batterer is often the time when the victim is at the greatest risk of physical violence from the batterer. This well-documented phenomenon is referred to as “separation assault.” In fact, at least one study found that about 75% of victims were divorced or in the process of divorcing their abusers when they were battered. In the Chicago Women’s Health Risk Study, researchers found that a woman’s departure or attempt to end the relationship, was an immediate precipitating factor in 40% of intimate partner homicides of women.

Another consideration for many women is a lack of a social support network resulting from the isolation imposed by her batterer. A battered woman’s family ties and friendships are often destroyed by her batterer, leaving her psychologically and financially dependent on the abusive partner. Other considerations include economic dependence, feelings of guilt and promises of reform, religious beliefs and values that reinforce the commitment to marriage, love for her spouse and social acceptance of violence against women.

Battered women’s shelters have a duty to provide an environment that is as safe and as comfortable for battered women as possible so they can break the web of control which a perpetrator exerts over his victim. If the shelters are made co-ed, this will dramatically change their environment and they will almost certainly no longer be the safe havens that traumatized women need."