Evolutionary Psychology, Reproduction and Gender Roles

Sociobiology Evolutionary Psychology Biologists Primatologists Ethologists Anthropologists Psychologists Linguists Lots of Controversy Fear of Social Darwinism Arguments about human free will Arguments about whether humans have instinctive (genetically programmed behavioral tendencies) First attempts to apply the theories to humans Edward O. Wilson Sociobiology: The New Synthesis 1975

Some Types of Evolutionary Psychology Theory Systems Theory Kin Selection/Inclusive Fitness Theory Parental Investment Theory Altruism Theory Sociability Theory Multilevel Evolutionary Theory

Kin Diagram Basics = male female marriage siblings = offspring

Kin Selection/Inclusive Fitness Individuals will tend to invest in others in proportion to their degree of relatedness. Degree of relatedness is calculated using the proportion of genes shared in common.

Kin Selection/Inclusive Fitness Theory = = === 1/2 == Cousins Brother EGO Sister Cousins 1/2 FaSi FaBr Father Mother MoSi MoBr Parent-Child ½ Grandparent-Grandchild ¼ (½ x ½) Aunt/Uncle-Niece/Nephew ¼ (½ x ½) Cousin-Cousin 1/8 (½ x ½ x ½)

Males Females Parental Investment Theory Relative Contributions of Males and Females to Offspring Gamete size and contribution to embryo Minimum time investment to birth of a child Minimum emotional investment to autonomous healthy child Minimum economic investment to autonomous healthy child 1/200,000 of an egg A few minutes None 200,000 times larger Nine months 5 to 7 years

Parental Investment Theory Male vs. Female Mating Strategies What characteristics are most sexy? MalesFemales Youth, BeautyPower, Wealth Very important. The female needs help with the large time, emotional and economic investments she must make to produce a healthy adult offspring. She would like her mate to stick around and help. It varies. Commitment to a single female is one of many strategies for a male. The male can offer fidelity to a single female to help support their offspring. This is only one of the male options. At the other end of the spectrum is “free copulation” leaving females to care for offspring. How important is exclusivity and commitment ?

Parental Investment Theory Hypotheses about The Range of Male Strategies The Swinger: Males who attract lots of females who are willing to have sex with them are better off not making a commitment to a single female. They will hope that some of the women with whom they copulate will get pregnant, and that the women will find a way to support/raise the child, either alone, or with the help of another male. This way they have the potential for having large numbers of children in whom they will have invested very little. The Nerd: Males who do not attract lots of females who are willing to have sex with them can offer commitment as an inducement for sex. They promise long term fidelity and support for the female and her offspring, allowing the female to have more children, or to raise more successful children because she has the time, emotional and economic investments of a male on whom she can count.

Parental Investment Theory Hypotheses about Female Strategies Females will be attracted to wealthy, powerful males who can help them support and raise their children. This will be especially true in cultures where males control resources. They may tolerate such men having multiple wives or partners as long as they and their children are supported. Females will be less exclusively monogamous when they have access to economic resources or earning power themselves. However, they will never be as promiscuous as the most promiscuous males. The risk of pregnancy and the investment that follows conception for women will make them more careful about sexual partners, and more interested in commitment from partners than will ever be true for males.

Overview of Theories Marx Conflict over resources Eisenstein Add patriarchy Vogel Add reproduction of mode of production Ward Applies World Systems theory that adds imposition of capitalism = gender stratification Engels Civilization = gender stratification Sacks Social labor = social adulthood Rosaldo Maternally-based division of labor Weber Gender stratification behavior follows ideology Sanday -Inner Oriented ( women sacred) vs Outer Oriented (women dangerous) societies. Male dominance associated with technological complexity, migration, conflict and dangerous situations Ortner Women are nature, Men are culture, culture must control nature Freud/Kittay Womb envy Social Learning Theory Parental Investment Male Vs Female contributions