The Case Of The Female Orgasm: Bias In The Scie... -

Lloyd favors the theory that the female orgasm is an evolutionary by-product rather than an adaptation. Just as men have nipples because they are a developmental requirement for females, women have the capacity for orgasm because the clitoris and penis develop from the same embryonic tissue. In this view, male orgasm was selected for its reproductive necessity, and female orgasm was "carried along" as a happy accident.

Lloyd meticulously reviews 21 different evolutionary accounts of the female orgasm. She "knocks down" 20 of them—including the "uterine upsuck" theory—by showing they lack a solid empirical base or ignore known sexological data. The Case of the Female Orgasm: Bias in the Scie...

A male-centered perspective that assumes female sexuality is a mirror of male sexuality. In men, orgasm is inextricably linked to ejaculation and fertilization; because of this, many scientists have incorrectly assumed it must serve a similar reproductive function in women. Key Arguments and Findings Lloyd favors the theory that the female orgasm