Female Choice In Parenting Darwin Summary

Small argues in her article, Female Choice in Mating that there is evolutionary significance in the female choice of her reproductive partner. She first discusses the background assumptions surrounding female primates and their sexual tendencies. Darwin explained that while natural selection is indiscriminate by gender, sexual selection is. For him, there are two subsets of sexual selection: intra-sexual and inter-sexual selection. Intra-sexual selection is the case of males fighting one another to gain access to females, determining hierarchy while weeding out weaker males. This violence translates to passion, explaining males supposedly higher sex drive. The latter subset, inter-sexual selection is the case of males winning the favor of

Natural selection would overpower a trait that proved too extravagant for survival purposes, despite female choice. Yet, Small draw in more modern theories that incorporate the 1970s feminist movements that brought to light that females are just as sexually driven as men. She cites Maynard Smith’s experiment with fruit flies, proving that some traits evolved to help females determine the fertility of men. Trivers posits that the biological difference in sexual selection originally observed by Darwin evolved because of the discrepancy in parental investment. Thus, the crux of Small’s argument is that there are two major theories behind female choice: the “Fisherian” and the “Triverian”. The former disregards the significance of female choice in natural selection, determining that sexual selection is a different matter altogether. The “Triverian” however asserts that because females make choices based on what is best for them and their offspring, their choice has had a secondary effect on male natural selection. Further, natural selection has determined which females are fit enough to choose the right males to reproduce

She opens with the theory that women are not physiologically adapted to spend majority of reproductive lives non-pregnant, and as increase in breast and ovarian cancers are a result of this. Health-rich countries increase levels of steroids, yet contemporary lifestyles limit the time spent pregnant and/or breastfeeding during a woman’s time of reproductive potential. She discusses how modernization has actually increased the reproductive ability of women because their energy can be better budgeted towards reproduction; however, modern women are having a lot less children than ancestral women. Moreover, she explores the pros and cons of menstrual suppressing oral contraceptives, contrasting convenience with oversight. She continues on reviewing the theories about why women bleed when we menstruate, the beginning of the egg’s journey, and then menstrual cycle phases. Health-rich countries, particularly the United States, experience PMS significantly more than other countries; yet, the theories surrounding PMS are difficult because research or even writings about PMS are all relatively new. Menstrual synchrony is a myth, however menstrual cycles can affect socialsexual behaviors. Trevathan concludes with exploring human female sexual behavior. Human females engage in sexual behavior whether or not they are ovulating, or even have a chance of