Along with the psychological and the
social causes of domestic
violence and abuse
violence
relationships
only acceptable for a male to reproduce with one female. This male must then
invest a great deal of time and many resources into raising and caring for the
child. While the male is investing resources in this child, they are missing
opportunities to increase their reproductive fitness. Therefore, it is
essential that a male can ensure that the child that he is investing in is
actually his child. Evolutionary theory suggests that domestic violence and
abuse has evolved as a strategy for males to establish control over a female’s
sexual assets in order to ensure that he fathers the female’s offspring. Domestic
violence research indicates that domestic violence and abuse has been developed
as a method of establishing and maintaining control and power over a spouse. If
a male threatens a female with physical violence and causes a female to fear
for her safety, then the female is less likely to commit infidelity. Therefore,
domestic violence and spousal abuse
and guarantee a child’s paternity. Domestic violence research indicates that a
woman is most at risk for fatal physical abuse and homicide when they make the
decision to escape an abusive relationship. At this point, the female is no
longer beneficial to the reproductive success of the perpetrator, and has the
potential to maximize the reproductive fitness of another male. Domestic
violence research also suggests that infants are extremely susceptible to abuse
and infanticide when the infant’s mother has entered into a relationship with a
male that is not the child’s biological father. The mother’s boyfriend or the
child’s step father may harm the child in order to increase his own
reproductive fitness. If the infant survives, the child’s mother, as well as
the new male, will be required to invest valuable time and resources into the
care of the child. Because this child is not the new male’s child, the new male
will be helping to increase the reproductive success of the child’s father if
the male continues to invest resources in the child. By committing infanticide,
the female will now have the available resources in order to rear a child in
her current relationship. Domestic violence research supplies interesting
support for some of these evolutionary theories of domestic violence and abuse.
