Evolutionary Explanation Flashcards
What are the traditional gender roles?
Males are hunters and females are home makers
How mag traditional gender roles occurred?
Because men are physically stronger and women spent most of their adult life either pregnant of producing milk.
What would happen if a women were to spend time hunting?
The groups success would reduce because a pregnant woman wouldn’t be as good at hunting and she wouldn’t be able to care for her young as effectively.
What is the main principle of division labour?
Men are traditionally hunters and women are homemakers. This is in order to ensure the group is successful. This is later amplified by brains development differences.
What influences the division of labour?
Brain developmental differences
What are the brain development differences between men and women?
Men having better visual-spatial skills and females have better language skills
How do differences in brain development in men and women affect division of labour?
Makes having better visual-spatial skills means they are better at hunting. Whereas women have better language skills needed for raising infants so she can teach the next generation how to behave appropriately.
What are the evolutionary explanations of gender?
Division of labour
Parental investment
Mate selection
What studies are relevant to evolutionary explanations?
Wood and Eagley
Buss et all
Dunn and Searles
What were Wood and Eagleys findings?
They found in most non-industrial cultures, men did more to provide food than women, this was especially marked in cultures that hunted large animals. In all cultures, women contributed much more to chile care.
What do universals in behaviour indicate?
A biological influence
How do Wood and Eagleys findings support the idea that division of labour is determined by evolution?
Because there are universals in behaviour showing the showing there has been a biological influence. Men and women have adapted over time to these roles in order to be successful as a group. CHECK THIS.
On top of their original findings, what else did Wood and Eagley discover?
A lot of variation between cultures in men’s and women’s roles - weaving, milking, harvesting are examples of swing activities which were predominantly male in some cultures and more female in others
How do swing activities oppose the labour division theory?
It shows the influence of social and cultural factors in gender role behaviour. Gender is not only by nature and evolution but also nurture.
What is the main principle of mate selection?
That gender role behaviours are related to reproductive strategies to ensure the survival of ones genes.
How have men evolved in relation to mate selection?
They have evolved a greater desire for casual sex and to have sex earlier on in a relationship
Why have men evolved a grater desire for casual sex?
To increase the numbers of their offspring as they are motivated by the desire to pass on their genes
When engaging in mate selection; what features do men look for in a woman?
A younger woman who looks healthy as this means she is probably more fertile. They look for smooth skin, shiny hair, big hips for child bearing and a small waist which indicates she is not already pregnant.
When engaging in mate selection, what features do women look for in a man?
Signs of fertility and healthiness e.g a strong jaw and broad shoulders. But they are more concerned about their resources.
Why are women more concerned with a mans resources?
Because human infants demand exclusive attention for many months after birth meaning they cannot provide for themselves as well
What would be the desired resources in a hunter gatherer society?
Meat
What would the resources be in a modern society?
Money which could provide better food, environment, education ect
What did Buss discover?
He found that on analysis of 10,000 men and women from 37 different cultures including a wide diversity of ethnic, political, religious and economic groups women desired mates who were ‘good financial prospects’ and men placed more importance in physical attractiveness and wanted a younger women.
What were Dunn and Searle’s findings?
They discovered women found the man in the Bentley more attractive than the man in the Ford Fiesta despite the fact the men had already been rated of equal attractiveness. Whereas which car the women was in did not affect how attractive the men found them.
THINK ABOUT ADDING
PARENTAL INVESTMENT
What are some criticisms of evolutionary explanations?
It is very sexist. It assumes women want a wealthy successful man rather than make their own money. It also does little for the reputation of men claiming then to be promiscuous. In fact, humans choose a partner for a number of reasons including personality and shared interest.
It also does not explain why homosexuality is so common in our society. If gender behaviour was driven solely by reproductive strategies then same sex relationships wouldn’t exist. This clearly isn’t the case soother factors must have an influence.
What debates are relevant to evolutionary theories?
Outdated, socially sensitive, gender bias
Explain the outdated debate
Evolutionary theories focus on hunter gatherers societies and as a result are sometimes outdated and do not apply to today’s way of living.
Explain the socially sensitive debate…
People may use this to try to excuse inappropriate behaviour such as infidelity or even murder (mate guarding behaviour) because the way then behave is innate and they are a ‘victim of evolution’. Obviously this is unacceptable behaviour which is why this is not accepted in court.
Explain the sexist debate…
It is very demeaning to women as it claims they are motivated to find a partner for shallow reasons.
