This study examined the impact of a woman's sex role attributes and attitudes, and her religiosity on the length of time she remained with a violent premarital partner after his first use of violence against her. It was expected that women who were more individualistic — more masculine, more modern, and less religious - - would leave the relationship sooner than women with lower levels of individualism. The sample was comprised of 59 never-married women, 23 years of age or younger, who met each of the following additional criteria: (a) they identified themselves as "victim;" (b) they made the decision to end the relationship; (c) their decision to leave was based, at least in part, on their partner's violence; and (d) they were not cohabiting at the time the violence occurred
