Sexual selection and human reproductive behaviour

• Sexual selection - Explains why some characteristics that might appear to create an advantage in human reproductive behaviour
• Anisogamy - Differences between male and female gametes:

  • Male gametes - Small, mobile and created in a vast amount
  • Female gametes - Large, static and produced in intervals
  • Consequence of anisogamy - No shortage in fertile males
  • Produces two mating strategies - Inter-sexual selection and intra-sexual selection
• Inter-sexual selection - Quality over quantity:

  • Mostly used by females
  • Greater investment of time commitment and other resources before, during and after birth
  • Need to be choosier than males - Seek a male who will provide healthy offspring and support them with resources
• Intra-sexual selection - Quantity over quality:

  • Male strategy
  • Reproduce as frequently as possible
  • Competition - Females are limited and choosy
  • Competing successfully - Pass on genes to next gen and keep those traits
• Evaluation for sexual selection - Research support for inter-sexual selection:

  • Clark and Hatfield: Female choosiness is reality of relationships
  • Male and female students asked others on campus if they would sleep with them
  • Results - Males - 80% agreed, Females - 0% agreed

  Strength: Supports the theory suggesting females are choosier than males when it comes to sexual partners
• Evaluation for sexual selection - Ignores social and cultural influences:

  • Partner preferences - Influenced by changing social norms of sexual behaviour
  • Women spend more time in the workplace - No longer dependent on men to provide
  • Argued that social change has consequences for women's mate preferences - No longer resource oriented

  Limitation: Fails to account for both cultural and evolutionary influences - limited explanation
• Evaluation for sexual selection - Research support for preferences to asiogamy

  Buss: Survey of 10 000 adults in over 30 countries

  • Asked about attributes that are important in a partner

  Females - Greater value of resource based characteristics

  Males - Good looks and chastity and younger in age

  • Support prediction about partner preference
  • High application across different cultures - Fundamental human preferences

  Strength: Supports validity of the theory