In order to understand wife abuse in a rural context, it is important to recognize the nature of that context. New Brunswick is a largely rural province with 51% of its 738,133 inhabitants living in areas defined as rural. According to the 1996 Census rural means living in small towns, villages and other places with populations of less than 1,000 (Statistics Canada 1996). Only Prince Edward Island and the Northwest Territories have a higher percentage of their population living in rural areas. By comparison, 22% of Quebecois and 17% of Ontarians live in rural areas. Even provinces with considerable activity in the areas of farming, fishing and agriculture have a greater proportion of urban dwellers. For example, the rural population of Manitoba is 28%, Saskatchewan 37%, British Columbia 18% and Newfoundland 43%.