Males Compete, Females Choose: Evidence in Humans
In non-human animals, it is typically males that engage in intrasexual competition, and females that exercise intersexual choice. This is apparent in the morphological and behavioural differences between the sexes. Trivers (1972) argues that this is so due to differential investment in offspring between the sexes, which makes access to females a limiting resource in males' reproductive success. In other words, males compete, females choose. In this essay, I shall critically discuss the evidence that this pattern exists in humans. In terms of competition between males, I will consider aspects of the male body, such as size and strength, in addition to psychological characteristics such as …show more content…
That is, physical traits that are in keeping with the idea of violent competition between males for access to females, much like in other species, where the bigger, stronger, more dominant males, are able to gain and control access to females (Dawkins, 2006, p. 161). In humans, males are typically taller and larger than females, in addition to being physically stronger and faster (Pinker, 2003, pp. 344-346). Males have a greater amount of lean muscle mass, particularly noted in the upper body, which is in keeping with other sexually dimorphic species that engage in male competition (Puts 2010, p. 5). Furthermore, male skeletons are robust, and this is particularly so in regards to the facial region of the skull, which could be the result of selection pressure pushing in the direction of human males becoming more able to cope with violence, and thus blows to the face (Puts, 2010, p. 6). And, males have a greater tolerance for pain, which further supports the idea of an evolutionary pressure making them more suited to dealing with violence (Pinker, 2003, p. 316, 345). Interestingly, although modern humans live in a vastly different world to that of their ancestors, where direct violence over women was likely common place, cues of physical dominance, such as height, still give the holder of the trait …show more content…
Geneticists have discerned that there is far more diversity of mitochondrial DNA than the DNA in Y chromosomes. Given that mitochondrial DNA is inherited by both males and females from their mothers, whereas DNA in the Y chromosome is inherited only by men from their fathers, this indicates that there has been much more variability in male reproductive success than in women. That is, some men had much more offspring compared to others – some of whom had none – while women generally left a comparable number of offspring (Pinker, 2003, p. 347). This is in keeping with the view that males competed for reproductive access to females, who, given their level of investment, choose between the available males for the best quality
In non-human animals, it is typically males that engage in intrasexual competition, and females that exercise intersexual choice. This is apparent in the morphological and behavioural differences between the sexes. Trivers (1972) argues that this is so due to differential investment in offspring between the sexes, which makes access to females a limiting resource in males' reproductive success. In other words, males compete, females choose. In this essay, I shall critically discuss the evidence that this pattern exists in humans. In terms of competition between males, I will consider aspects of the male body, such as size and strength, in addition to psychological characteristics such as …show more content…
That is, physical traits that are in keeping with the idea of violent competition between males for access to females, much like in other species, where the bigger, stronger, more dominant males, are able to gain and control access to females (Dawkins, 2006, p. 161). In humans, males are typically taller and larger than females, in addition to being physically stronger and faster (Pinker, 2003, pp. 344-346). Males have a greater amount of lean muscle mass, particularly noted in the upper body, which is in keeping with other sexually dimorphic species that engage in male competition (Puts 2010, p. 5). Furthermore, male skeletons are robust, and this is particularly so in regards to the facial region of the skull, which could be the result of selection pressure pushing in the direction of human males becoming more able to cope with violence, and thus blows to the face (Puts, 2010, p. 6). And, males have a greater tolerance for pain, which further supports the idea of an evolutionary pressure making them more suited to dealing with violence (Pinker, 2003, p. 316, 345). Interestingly, although modern humans live in a vastly different world to that of their ancestors, where direct violence over women was likely common place, cues of physical dominance, such as height, still give the holder of the trait …show more content…
Geneticists have discerned that there is far more diversity of mitochondrial DNA than the DNA in Y chromosomes. Given that mitochondrial DNA is inherited by both males and females from their mothers, whereas DNA in the Y chromosome is inherited only by men from their fathers, this indicates that there has been much more variability in male reproductive success than in women. That is, some men had much more offspring compared to others – some of whom had none – while women generally left a comparable number of offspring (Pinker, 2003, p. 347). This is in keeping with the view that males competed for reproductive access to females, who, given their level of investment, choose between the available males for the best quality