Sex Differences In Parental Investment

Question 1

Paternal investment

Answer 1

A women produce only a limited number of offspring where as a male con potentially father an unlimited number of offspring.
Females have to carry the developing embryo inside them for nine months where as males can walk away after conception.
Indiscriminate mating could cost a women a great deal in terms of time and resources where as indiscriminate mating seems to be less costly for males.

Males must also protect themselves from cuckoldry. Males can’t be certain it’s theirs and and males invest in their children through resources so they are concerned about the fidelity of their mates.

Men are more jealous of the possibility of sexual infidelity while women are more jealous of the possibility of a shift in emotional focus.

Question 2

Maternal investment

Answer 2

Makes can opt out of parental investment in a way that females can’t. The investment made by females is much greater than that made by males and this could be due to the greater parental certainty for females.

Human females invest more because the baby becomes dependent on their mothers for much longer. Females make a greater prenatal and postnatal contribution.

Random mating is more costly for females as they only have a limited amount of eggs to reproduce.