Causes of Polygyny: Ecology, Economy, Kinship, and Warfare

White, Dougľas R.; Burton, Michael L.

doi:10.1525/aa.1988.90.4.02a00060

Cited by 181 publications

(103 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…One of the most important of these mores is the prohibition against polygynous marriages (Alexander, 1979;MacDonald, 1995;White & Burton, 1988). In societies in which polygyny is not constrained, culturally successful men (about 10-15% of men) will typically marry several women (Murdock, 1981).…”

Section: Cultural Mores and Resource Availabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of human mate choice

Geary¹,

Vigil

Byrd‐Craven

2004

Journal of Sex Research

212

199

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This article provides a review of evolutionary theory and empirical research on mate choices in non-mechanisms that operate within species and are principle factors in the evolution of sex differences (Darwin, 1871). These mechanisms are called sexual selection and involve competition with members of the same sex over mates (intrasexual competition) and discriminative choice of mating partners (intersexual choice). The most common mating dynamic involves male-male competition over access to mates and female choice of mating partners (Andersson, 1994). In the first section, we describe why this dynamic is so common and when exceptions (e.g., male choice) are predicted to evolve. In the second section, we describe intersexual choice in nonhuman species.

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Section: Cultural Mores and Resource Availabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of human mate choice

Geary¹,

Vigil

Byrd‐Craven

2004

Journal of Sex Research

212

199

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“…This study also found that Yorubas had the highest proportion of men who knew exact menstrual cycle dates of their wives ( Table 2). The polygamous nature commonly found with the Yorubas and Hausa clans could be barriers for intimate communication between husbands and wives 26 . Furthermore, an infamous notion by husbands thinking that discussions around family planning and female reproductive health with wives is a dent on their manhood 27 may also be a plausible reason for this lackadaisical attitude.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Knowledge of Spousal Fertility Cycles on Male Reproductive Health Participation in Ibadan Metropolis, Nigeria

Obembe

Odebunmi

Osungbade

et al. 2017

Afr J Reprod Health

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Despite the established roles and influence of men on women"s uptake and utilization of reproductive health care interventions, the degree of involvement with intimate issues within the household which could help to understand male involvement and support remains an under-researched topic. The aim of this study was to investigate the degree of involvement at the family level of men within sub-urban communities of Ibadan in South-West Nigeria. A cross sectional survey design was conducted among 380 men selected from sub-urban communities in Ibadan, Oyo State using multi-stage sampling. Data was obtained using pretested, semi-structured, interviewer administered questionnaires. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis and logistic regression with level of significance set at 5%. Mean age of respondents was 41.1 ± 7.6 years. Men who were knowledgeable of spouse"s menstrual cycles and ovulation dates were significantly more likely to have supported some form of public health intervention before (p<0.001). Age over 30, above secondary education, and men aware of menstrual dates of spouse were significant predictors of reproductive health interventions. Men who were aware of menstrual cycles of spouse were 96.6% more likely to be supportive or involved in reproductive health matters compared to those who were not (OR =0.034; 95% CI = 0.02 -0.07; p<0.001). Involvement of men at family level as demonstrated in this study serves to influence and explain the level of involvement with reproductive health. Further research investigating other proximal factors that influence male participation is recommended. (Afr J Reprod Health 2017; 21[3]: 76-88).Keywords: reproductive health, health disparities, male involvement, menstrual cycle, ovulatory cycles, fertility RésuméEn dépit des rôles établis et de l'influence des hommes sur la prise en charge des femmes et l'utilisation des interventions en matière de soins de santé de la reproduction, le degré de participation aux problèmes intimes au sein du ménage qui pourrait aider à comprendre l'implication et le soutien des hommes demeure un sujet de recherche insuffisamment étudié. L'objectif de cette étude était d'étudier le degré d'implication au niveau familial des hommes dans les communautés sub-urbaines d'Ibadan dans le sud-ouest du Nigéria. Une étude transversale a été menée auprès de 380 hommes sélectionnés parmi les communautés suburbaines d'Ibadan, dans l"État d'Oyo, en utilisant un échantillonnage en plusieurs étapes. Les données ont été obtenues à l'aide de questionnaires pré-testés, semi-structurés et administres à partir des interviews. Les données ont été analysées en utilisant des statistiques descriptives, une analyse bivariée et une régression logistique avec un niveau de signification fixé à 5%. L'âge moyen des répondants était de 41,1 ± 7,6 ans. Les hommes qui connaissaient bien les cycles menstruels et les dates d'ovulation des épouses étaient beaucoup plus susceptibles d'avoir soutenu une forme d'intervention de santé publique ...

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“…Since most of the societies in the Karamojong-Kipsikiis clade lie in closer vicinity to each other than to the societies with rare polygyny (Murle, Acholi, and others), it is quite plausible that polygyny is transmitted between neighbors, particularly in contexts in which fraternal interest groups raid cattle from surrounding ethnic groups in order to acquire the bridewealth for multiple marriages or to settle new territory. 80 In reality, the truth probably lies somewhere in between, with rates of polygyny varying both in response to socioecological conditions 99 and reflecting an ancestral tradition. 61 It is worth adding a point to which we will return, that horizontal transmission is much more likely to occur and to be detected in fine-grained regional studies such as this, where the mean and maximum distances between populations are about 300 and 1100 km, respectively, than in, for example, a pan-African study where the equivalent figures are approximately 3,000 and 8,000 km.…”

Section: Do Cultural Traits Show Evidence Of Horizontal Transmission?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Are they cattle or wife raiders, what is their population density, and do they have a shortage of agricultural land? 80 Conversely, neighboring populations are perhaps less likely to adopt an entire inheritance system, shifting from patriliny to matriliny as a result of the behavior of their neighbors. 81 Finally it is quite possible that a specific trait may show vertical transmission in one context and horizontal transmission in another.…”

Section: Remaining Challenges In Untangling Transmission Patternsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cultural macroevolution and the transmission of traits

Mulder¹,

Nunn

Towner

2006

Evolutionary Anthropology

119

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Cultural traits are distributed across human societies in a patterned way. Study of the mechanisms whereby cultural traits persist and change over time is key to understanding human cultural diversity. For more than a century, a central question has engaged anthropologists interested in the study of cultural trait variation: What is the source of cultural variation? More precisely, are cultural traits transmitted primarily from ancestral to descendant populations (vertical transmission) or between contemporary, typically neighboring populations (horizontal transmission), or do they emerge as independent innovations? While debates among unilineal evolutionists and diffusionists have long since faded, there is still much uncertainty about how traits are transmitted at this macroevolutionary level, as well as about the implications of these transmission patterns for testing hypotheses regarding the adaptive function of particular cultural traits across human populations.

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Causes of Polygyny: Ecology, Economy, Kinship, and Warfare

Cited by 181 publications

References 33 publications

Evolution of human mate choice

Evolution of human mate choice

Influence of Knowledge of Spousal Fertility Cycles on Male Reproductive Health Participation in Ibadan Metropolis, Nigeria

Cultural macroevolution and the transmission of traits

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