YourThronet and Aitell: You'd be surprised at the amount of men who get abused.
Actually, I'm not surprised at it, unfortunately. I find it horrifying your mother goes after your father like that and it's frustrating there are little resources for males. Especially in small towns. I do hear of males being abused but that is very disproportionate to the numbers of women who are abused.
I still, however, stand by the stats of deaths of women at the hands of their spouses, by the recounting of women and men's experiences of the men using their strength to overcome their women no matter what they try to do to defend themselves.
BTW, I don't know what I'd do but I'd be pretty hard pressed to leave an abuser if he threatened to kill me, my pets, my family or anything else I cared about if I left.
Intimidation is just as strong as a punch in the face.