Proximate and ultimate explanations are required for a comprehensive understanding of partner rape

To date, reviews of partner rape have focused on the proximate (or immediate) causes of partner rape. Missing from these reviews, however, is theory and research that has examined the ultimate (or evolutionary) causes of partner rape. Here, we review this literature, and we discuss the complementarity of proximate and ultimate levels of analysis. We conclude by highlighting the importance of integrating multiple levels of analysis when studying men's sexual coercion of their intimate partners.