*Trigger warning: the content of this piece discusses rape and sexual assault, and may be disturbing to some readers.

 In our first piece: Why do men rape? Evolutionary theory has the answer: part one, we discussed rape and victim blaming in regards to evolutionary psychology. We expressed our dislike with the notion that rape is an evolutionary trait. But evolutionary psychology is not the only field presenting misogynist theories concerning rape. Evolutionary biology is also a common culprit. One of us recently came across a book that discussed the enigmas concerning women’s biology and was shocked, surprised and also infuriated with the way that rape was blamed on the “deceptive” female body.

Not only is rape, according to evolutionary psychology, an adaptive trait. It is also, according to evolutionary biology, commonly presented as the result of women’s concealed ovulation. In short, rape is blamed on the very nature of women’s bodies. To explain: in contrast to some nonhuman primates, women’s ovulation is concealed. That is, most women and men do not necessarily know when a woman is ovulating. Different evolutionary theories have attempted to explain this enigma. One of these theories states that women’s secret ovulation is a response to trying to keep control over men and thus control over their own sexual reproduction and sexual partners. At the same time, this theory also discusses rape. If ovulation would not be concealed, different men may try to reproduce with, and compete over the same woman as she signals ovulation, “…leaving women little choice, perhaps, but to accept the victor” (Barash & Lipton, 2009, p. 62). This statement alludes to rape if ovulation is obvious, but the same is true for concealed ovulation, according to evolutionary biology:

 …women pay a potentially devastating cost as a result of their concealed ovulation: it makes them more vulnerable to being raped. Among animals such as horses and dogs, males by and large are sexually interested only when females are receptive. Hence, mares and bitches are only rarely sexually attacked by stallions or dogs because when females aren’t in estrus, males aren’t interested, and when males are sexually demanding, females are too. A possible downside of women’s having evolved to obscure their time of peak ovulatory receptivity may therefore be that they have ended up being more vulnerable to men’s forcing unwanted sex upon them simply because as a result of concealed ovulation, men – clueless enough when it comes to romance generally – are even more clueless as to when women are likely to be biologically receptive (Barash & Lipton, 2009, p. 62-63).

According to these theories, the very nature of women’s biology compels men to rape them, while blame is placed on women’s bodies as they do not signal ovulation or fertilization in an obvious manner (even though the same would be true if they did).

These statements made by evolutionary biologists are extreme examples of victim blaming as they view rape as an innate biological trait that is dependent on women’s faulty biology. If it was not for women’s concealed ovulation rapists would not be so inclined to rape. At the same time, visible ovulation may result in the same consequence, rapists being inclined to rape. Evolutionary theories are male dominated, while advocating for the extraordinary male need for reproductive success as normal, even if reproduction includes rape (which physically, mentally, and emotionally harms women). Women’s bodies are viewed as deceptive, alluring, faulty and deviant, meaning that if it were not for women’s deceptive biology, perhaps men would not have to rape. [Read more...]