Even though us women don't like to admit it, a part of us is intimidated by men. We know that they are stronger and often taller. So when we dance around rejection it's not because we enjoy manipulating your feelings.

It's because we know that if a man did decide to hurt us for jilting them they could and we most likely couldn't fight back. It's a survival instinct that is both innate and taught. We know that not all men are violent, but it's hard to tell which ones are and so we practice the same amount of caution with every man we reject.

It's taught to us by fellow women. The first time I had to reject a guy in 9th grade my friend told me to tell him that I had a boyfriend at another school.

Edit: By retaliation I don't just mean physical violence. Guilt tripping and emotional manipulation counts too.