Human Mating System

Question 1

Why Are They Hard to Study

Answer 1

• mating preferences are strongly culturally mediated
• people lie when asked
• human sexuality/romantic relationships are complicated

Question 2

Inbreeding Avoidance

Answer 2

• in some cultures mating with distant relatives is normal, but never close relatives
• non-related children raised together rarely marry
• minor marriage

Question 3

Males

Answer 3

• paternal investment can be highly variable
• prefer females mates with higher potential fertility
• sexual fidelity important

Question 4

Females

Answer 4

• high maternal investment
• very selective in choosing mates
• select mates who can provide resources for them + offspring
• minimal concern about age (preference for older men)
• fidelity is important, but less so than for males
• conservative in initiating sexual relationships

Question 5

Both Sexes

Answer 5

• value physical attraction and love
• value stability, pleasantness, sociability, compatibility

Question 6

Humans Form Unions (Marriage)

Answer 6

• usually incorporate exclusive sexual access
• investment by male and female in offspring
• defines social status of offspring

Question 7

Functions of Marriage

Answer 7

• minimize male-male competition
• protect females from male aggression
• maximize paternity certainty

Question 8

Marriages Vary In:

Answer 8

• number of mates and children
• how marriages are regulated
• relationships between individuals
• where they live

Question 9

Polygyny

Answer 9

• men have multiple wives
• hunting ability, wealth (land/resources), political rank all corelated with RS

Question 10

Infidelity

Answer 10

• major cause of marriage termination across cultures
• more common in males than females

Question 11

Bridewealth/Bride Price

Answer 11

• paid TO the family of the bride by the groom/his family
• compensation to the bride’s family for loss of her labor
• more common in polygynous societies

Question 12

Dowry

Answer 12

• Paid BY the family of the bride to the groom/his family
• rare but common in highly stratified societies and monogamous societies
• strategy to marry females with high status (status passed off to offspring)

Question 13

Polyandry

Answer 13

• one women married to several men
• rare
• men have lower RS in polyandrous marriages
• fraternal polyandry

Question 14

Human Infanticide

Answer 14

• can be carried out by the mother

Question 15

Human Infanticide Happens When:

Answer 15

• child is unlikely to survive
• parents cannot care for child
• child not sired by the husband

Question 16

Human Adoption

Answer 16

• offspring raised by someone other than biological parents
• normally adopted by kin