The people who hurt us the most are often our loved ones. This is why spousal homicide is not a new phenomenon. Since the beginning of time, humans have had a violent nature and have acted against others, especially those we love most, such as family. This is not surprising. Everyone has had personal experience with family violence or witnessed it to the detriment of others. In American society, when a husband or wife is killed, the first person law enforcement turns to is the spouse. The spouse automatically becomes a suspect. It is also common to assume that the perpetrator, if the couple is not married, could be the boyfriend or girlfriend. What is scary is the fact that intimate partner violence is not seen as a universal social problem. In some countries, it is not recognized as a problem at all. (Barnett, Miller-Perrin, & Perrin, 492) When people examine intimate partner violence cross-culturally, then cultural relativism should be practiced. Practicing cultural relativism will help keep an ethnocentric perspective out of the research. Spousal homicide and other types of family violence are not discussed much because American culture views the family as a private entity; so many people don't speak up when there is violence in the home. People don't want government or law enforcement involved much once a problem involves a family matter. Victims are often afraid or ashamed to report. It is estimated that half of abused women do not report their abuse. (Wallace & Roberson, 2011, p. 210) This fact shows us that violence exists, but is simply ignored or “put up with” in society. We have more violence than the data shows because m... half of the document... view, legislation and federal funding. Fas. Retrieved November 10, 2013, from http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42499.pdfShackelford, T. K. (2001). Cohabitation, marriage, and murder: Murder of women by male romantic partners. Aggressive Behavior, 27(4), 284-291. Stickley, A., Kislitsyna, O., Timofeeva, I., & Vagero, D. (2008). Attitudes towards intimate partner violence against women in Moscow, Russia. Journal of Family Violence, 23(6), 447 -456. Doi:10.1007/s10896-008-9170-y.Waite, L. J., & Gallagher, M. (2000). Marriage is a license to strike. The case for marriage: Why married people are happier, healthier, and better off financially (1 ed., pp. 150-160). NewYork: Doubleday.Wallace, H., & Roberson, C. (2011). Characteristics and consequences of family violence. Family Violence: Legal, Medical, and Social Perspectives (6th ed., pp. 1 36). Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.