Overall its a myth sprinkled with a few facts. Bonobo's from what has been observed seem to have lower rates of inter group violence and so far have never been known to engage in lethal intragroup violence and infanticide is very rare, but evidence of Violence is actually still pervasive among them though how it is perpetrated is somewhat different from how it occurs among Chimps.
Bonobo's are also hierarchical it is in a way that favors females though this leads into one notable aspect of Bonobo's that differs from Chimps is that Mothers have a great deal of involvement in violence both in perpetration and directing others particularly their sons to perpetrate it as son's almost always remain with their mothers their entire lives among Bonobo's and mothers usually spend a great deal of time assisting their sons in attacking other males to increase their own sons social dominance. This also frames the formation of female coalitions in a different light as it often related to social dominance game of attacking other females son purely to gain social dominance.
It also should be noted that female coalition attacks against males are known to occur without any provocation on the part of the males or there being any known power struggle occurring in which the attacks would serve some useful purpose. www.amazon.com/Naked-Bonobo-Lynn-Saxon/dp/1523945516?tag=mumsnetforum-21
www.skepticink.com/incredulous/2017/10/09/bonobo-myth-demolished/
www.skepticink.com/incredulous/2014/12/29/questioning-sexy-bonobo-hype-part-2-primatologist-responds-christopher-ryan/
Kano (1992) found a majority of one group’s individuals had “abnormalities” of the limbs, digits, ears, eyeballs, genitalia, and other parts. 28 counts of total loss of a finger or toe, 96 counts of partial loss. Only one of the 22 adult males had intact fingers and toes. 32 counts of ear lacerations which almost always result from fighting. (p. 117-8)
At Apenheul Zoo in the Netherlands, five female bonobos attacked a male and were seen gnawing on his toes; the flesh could be seen between their teeth as they chewed away. (p. 119)
At least two zookeepers have lost parts of digits (p. 119)
While releasing bonobos back into the wild after rehabilitation at a sanctuary, three trackers were attacked and mutilated. They lost noses, bits of fingers and one lost an ear. One of the men spent a month in the hospital and two required a year of reconstructive facial surgery. (p. 122)
Overall, male-male aggression rates are similar in chimpanzees and bonobos (p. 126)
Video: a gang of females attack an adolescent male as its mother tries to peel them off. The researchers observing said that the male appeared to have been “at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
The alpha female at Twycross Zoo took the infant of the lowest ranking female, even though she was still nursing her own infant. After weeks of rough treatment at the alpha’s hands, she lost interest and the infant had to be removed for human rearing as it showed signs of “weakness and dehydration”. (p. 120-121)
There are at least 8 cases of infant abduction or victim of aggressive behavior at the Plankendael and Stuttgart zoos; the mothers of the stolen infants behaved nervously and showed signs of distress. While trying to get their infants back, some of the females would present for genito-genital rubbing. (p. 121)
In one Lomako group, aggression between females was about 7 times higher when two or more oestrous females were in the party than when there was only one. (p. 124)
Ranking female “wingmoms” aid their sons (but not daughters) in bullying and picking fights to advance their status. (p. 115)
Rather than moderate, females often reward males for their aggression and dominance (as long as they are its beneficiary rather than its victim).
A female-biased sex ratio is taken to be evidence of male intrasexual competition. Competition is a physiologically taxing and risky enterprise that leads to early death for many males. The problem here is that, overall, the sex ratio of chimpanzees and bonobos is very similar.
Both females and males had higher mating rates when they were aggressors compared to when they were targets of aggression. (p. 124)
Bonobo society, including its females, rewards rank and aggression:
Females strongly prefer high ranking males. When in oestrus, this preference intensifies.
High ranking males are more aggressive, and actively block other males from access to fertile females.
Feeding is highly segmented by rank. Low ranking individuals may be charged or attacked if attempting to line-jump.