Androgen Androgen An androgen (from Greek "andr-", the stem of the word meaning "man") is any natural or synthetic steroid hormone which regulates the development and maintenance of male characteristics in vertebrates by binding to androgen receptors. This includes the embryological development of the primary male sex organs, and the development of male secondary sex characteristics at puberty. Androgens are synthesized in the testes, the ovaries, and the adrenal glands. Androgens increase in both boys and girls during puberty. The major androgen in males is testosterone. Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and androstenedione are of equal importance in male development. DHT "in utero" causes
Human male sexuality with a male, and decrease the chance that the female will mate with another male. There are several strategies by which sexual coercion can be achieved. These are harassment, intimidation, and forced copulation (rape). Thornhill and Palmer's "A Natural History of Rape" investigates the evolutionary causes of sexual coercion, particularly of rape, and suggest that such behaviour is a result of sexual selection, rather than Darwinian natural selection. Of ten listed hypotheses, they accepted two reasonable hypotheses: Thornhill and Palmer argue that these two theories are the strongest of the ten for several reasons. For example, both hypothesis argue rape