New research from Oregon’s Social Learning Center concludes domestic violence programs are doing a disservice to men and women by ignoring the role women play in domestic combat. But Laurie Schipper, executive director of the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence, disagrees with the researchers’ conclusion. Schipper says there are women who hit first or fight back, but Schipper says there are few women who fit the definition of a batterer because they don’t sustain the violence for prolonged periods and their partner doesn’t live in constant fear. Schipper says it certainly happens, but it is more likely and she says the primary research supports her contention that men are more likely to be the primary aggressor to seek control in a relationship.Schipper says there are programs in Iowa for women who are batterers, and there have been women in Iowa who’ve been ordered by a judge to attend such programs.But Schipper says the folks who run those programs say most of the women who were ordered by a judge to attend turned out to be victims of violence who fought back and ended up being arrested. The Oregon researchers say domestic violence programs should focus on managing conflict and aggression for both men and women, and not let women believe they had nothing to do with the violence. Schipper says she doesn’t disagree that there should be more programs that help men and women in relationships interact in a “healthier way.”