Male aggression against women - Welcome to Nebraska.pdf

MALE AGGRESSION AGAINST WOMEN A n E v o l u t i o n a r y P e r s p e c t i v e Barbara Smuts University of Michigan Male aggression against females in primates, including humans, often functions to control female sexuality to the males reproductive advan- tage. A comparative, evolutionary perspective is used to generate several hypotheses to help to explain cross-cultural variation in the frequency of male aggression against women. Variables considered include protection of women by kin, male--male alliances and male strategies for guarding mates and obtaining adulterous matings, and male resource control. The relationships between male aggression against women and gender ideol- ogies, male domination of women, and female sexuality are also consid- ered. KE~ WORDS: Aggression; Reproductive strategies; Nonhuman primates; Cross-cultural analyses; Social relationships; Pair bonds. The worldwide prevalence of male violence toward w o m e n has recently become disturbingly evident. Russells (1984) careful survey of 930 San Franciscan w o m e n indicates that one-quarter of American w o m e n will experience a completed rape at some time in their lives, and nearly one- half will be victims of attempted or completed rape. Since the age of 14, 27.5% of college w o m e n have experienced an attempted or completed rape (Koss et al. 1987). Each year, approximately 1.8 million American Received July 8, 1991;accepted August 7, 1991. Address all correspondenceto Barbara Smuts, Departm