Timing of Sexual Maturation and Women’s Evaluation of Men

Abstract

Many antecedents and consequences of an accelerated sexual maturation are associated with negative experiences with the opposite sex. Here we show a connection between menarcheal age, a salient sign of female sexual maturation, and the implicit attitude toward men in later adulthood. In Study 1, earlier age at first menstruation was associated with automatic negative evaluations of male faces but not female ones. Study 2 revealed a relationship between early age of menarche and an implicit association between the concepts male and danger. In Study 3, the earlier the menarche, the larger was the estimated egocentric distance of virtual male voices and the shorter the estimated distance of female voices. These results, obtained about a decade after onset of menstruation, suggest that apparently subtle differences in the onset of sexual maturation may have long-lasting implications for intersexual relationships.

The effects of paternal disengagement on women’s sexual decision making: An experimental approach.

“…Although the current studies are an important first step in this line of research, future experiments are needed to examine the precise nature of the psychological changes that women experience in response to paternal disengagement. PIT posits that father absence provides women with information about the necessity and likelihood of receiving male investment in the local mating ecology (e.g., Belles, Kunde, & Neumann, 2010; Del Guidice & Belsky, 2011; Draper & Harpending, 1982; Ellis et al, 2012; James et al, 2012; Simpson & Belsky, 2008). This postulate has been supported by research demonstrating that daughters of widows—whose fathers are involuntarily absent—do not experience the accelerated sexual development typically observed in girls whose fathers are absent due to marital discord or disruption (Draper & Harpending, 1982; Hetherington, 1972).…”

The evolutionary basis of risky adolescent behavior: Implications for science, policy, and practice.

“…Extant research has also documented the long-term sequelae of early pubertal development in girls. Women who experienced early pubertal development, compared with their later maturing peers, tend to have higher levels of serum estradiol and lower sex hormone binding globulin concentrations that persist through 20–30 years of age; have shorter periods of adolescent subfertility (the time between menarche and attainment of fertile menstrual cycles); experience earlier ages at first sexual intercourse, first pregnancy, and first childbirth; display more negative implicit evaluations of men in early adulthood; attain lower educational outcomes and occupational status; engage in more aggressive/delinquent behavior as young adults; and are heavier, carry more body fat, and bear greater allostatic loads (cumulative biological “wear and tear”) in adolescence and early adulthood (Allsworth, Weitzen, & Boardman, 2005; Belles, Kunde, & Neumann, 2010; Emaus et al, 2008; Najman et al, 2009; van Lenthe, Kemper, & van Mechelen, 1996; reviewed in Ellis, 2004; Weichold, Silbereisen, & Schmitt-Rodermund, 2003). These effects can be conceptualized as part of a developmental continuum in which familial and ecological stressors in childhood forecast earlier pubertal maturation in girls (Belsky et al, 1991; Ellis, 2004; Ellis & Essex, 2007; Ellis, McFadyen-Ketchum, Dodge, Pettit, & Bates, 1999), which in turn regulates important dimensions of social and reproductive development (Belsky, Steinberg, Houts, & Halpern-Felsher, 2010; James, Ellis, Schlomer, & Garber, 2012; Trickett, Noll, & Putnam, 2011).…”

Developmental Adaptation to Stress: An Evolutionary Perspective

“…Early timing of puberty is an important component of a fast life history strategy. Women who experience early pubertal development, compared with their later-maturing peers, tend to have higher levels of serum estradiol and lower sex hormone binding globulin concentrations that persist through 20-30 years of age; have shorter periods of adolescent subfertility (the time between menarche and attainment of fertile menstrual cycles); experience earlier ages at first sexual intercourse, first pregnancy, and first childbirth; engage in more risky sexual behavior; and display more negative implicit evaluations of men and more aggressive and delinquent behaviors as young adults (Belles et al 2010, Najman et al 2009for reviews, see Baams et al 2015, Ellis 2004, Ibitoye et al 2017. This covariation between timing of pubertal development and other life history-related traits supports the conceptualization of puberty as a key switch point in the development of alternative life history strategies (Ellis 2013).…”