Patriarchal Ideology and Wife Beating: A Test of a Feminist Hypothesis

Feminist theory suggests that husbands who adhere to an ideology of familial patriarchy are more likely to beat their wives than husbands who do not adhere to such an ideology. This research provides quantitative data from a representative sample survey of women in the general population that support the feminist thesis. The results also indicate that husbands with relatively low incomes, low educational attainment, and low-status jobs were significantly more likely than higher status husbands to espouse such an ideology.