Citation

Brown GR. J. Evol. Psychol. 2009; 7(4): 347-350.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, Akadémiai Kiadó)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Reviews the book, "Sexual coercion in primates and humans: An evolutionary perspective on male aggression against females" by M. N. Muller and R. W. Wrangham (2009). The book provoked strong criticism, or out-right condemnation, from biologists, anthropologists, sociologists and feminists. The result has been a lull in enthusiasm for applying evolutionary theory to this aspect of human behavior. It provide a short summary of the evidence that sexual coercion is an important aspect of the lives of some non-human primates, and highlight the limitations of inferring sexual coercion from behavioral data alone. A landmark study of fruit flies, described by Watson-Capps, showed exactly how the conflict over mating has implications for both sexes in this polygynous species. The chapters in Muller and Wrangham's book provide an excellent starting point for a more mature debate on this highly-charged topic. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract)