Well Vic I am sure as most of the serials are of women being aggressive in a relationship. Anyway this is NOT to say that women should be meek or submissive but I am just speaking generally.

In a troubled relationship a man usually looses out more than a woman. They can fight like dogs and to hell with the neighbors. They will fight for control.

But the moment a man hits a woman he is a goner.
A wife always gets the arguments and discord to such a position where the man has to use a bit of physical violence. Here the woman wins hands down. Whatever she said or did is NOTHING compared to what the man did. If it is a decent educated man who has been compelled to hit her then mentally he is finished.

If a man choses to keep quiet in the face of the 'tongue' of the woman then too he loses. Gradually he will dread to go home and will always be controlled because a woman once given that liberty of abuse and control is never going to let it go.