I defend women because I understand that women and men are different. I also understand that women being different from men does not make them inferior.

As for what might be going on in a woman's mind when she becomes violent? In my experience, really bad puns and sexist jokes frequently resulted in a punch to the shoulder or an elbow in the ribs. I also got a couple jabs from young ladies on a few occasions during house parties when they got crowded and people started bumping into each other.

Of course, if someone has never had female friends or a relationship with a female, it might be difficult to imagine a punch or elbow just being part of the relationship, rather than being an effort to cause harm.