Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Political Studies.

This thesis examines three main tenets of the women's refuge movement: the need to change public attitudes towards domestic violence; the need to provide safe housing for victims of domestic violence; and the need to change legislation relating to domestic violence laws. These three tenets are discussed from the viewpoint of how, as an interest group, women's refuge seeks to fulfil these tenets. This thesis examines how well the women's refuge movement achieved these tenets, and asks if the traditional approach to interest groups adequately provides a model to study the type of interest group that is engendered by a social movement.--AUTHOR'S ABSTRACT

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