It is extremely important to identify women living in a violent situation. However, the health sector has not always offered a satisfactory response for the issue. We sought to identify how the health professionals of a maternity perceive and act in view of a violent situation. This is a qualitative research, in which the data were collected through semistructured interviews and subject to thematic analysis. The study group consisted of 12 health professionals from a philanthropic maternity hospital located in Ribeirão Preto, Sao Paulo State, Brazil. It was observed that health professionals characterize violence against women as a severe and important problem in society, caused by and leading to gender inequality. However, professional practice tends towards a biologistic and reductionist approach, which fragments women's health care,justified bythe lack of professional training, institutional support and a multidisciplinary team.