Previous research has considered domestic violence as an isolated act of male rage. This research develops the thesis that domestic violence is an instance of social control and a symptom of a gendered construction of space. The thesis was investigated by considering the urbanisation process. Case studies undertaken in three different Western Samoan social contexts found that women were becoming increasingly accepting of domestic violence. Changes in women's attitudes towards domestic violence and changes in the construction of Western Samoan space were shown to be inter-related. The empirical results substantiated the proposed concept of domestic violence. Practical strategies and future research will have to investigate the social context within which domestic violence 1s occurring.