Sexual Coercion

Abstract

Males of many species increase their reproductive success by obtaining multiple copulation and insemination; contrarily females avoid such matings due to high parental investment efforts. The disparity in parental investment leads to more reproductively active males than females at a given time. Thus, females become selective while choosing a mate; however, opposite holds true for males. Due to a lack of alignment in reproductive strategies and interest of males and females, sexual conflict may occur. The sexual conflicts among two sexes are considered as a major cause for evolution of certain traits involved in reproduction to maximize reproductive fitness. As a result of sexual conflict, alternative tactic used by males to ensure maximum mating and high reproductive fitness at a lower cost to themselves is sexual coercion. There are three main forms of sexual coercion: (i) forced copulation, where a male uses superior speed or strength to catch and physically restrain a female while he copulates with her by force; (ii) harassment, where males try to copulate repeatedly that impose some costs to females which induce them to mate immediately; and (ii) intimidation, where males punish females when refuse to mate with them, thereby raising chances that they will accept them as mates at some stage in future. The reduction or avoidance of forced copulation, harassment, and intimidation can have important evolutionary consequences for female movements, mating preferences, and social relationships, as well as for evolution of female morphology.