IUBio

Marriage: An evolutionary perspective

Bernhard Fink bernhard.fink at aon.at
Mon Jan 13 14:25:26 EST 2003


Marriage: An evolutionary perspective

GLENN WEISFELD & CAROL WEISFELD

Neuroendocrinology Letters,2002; 23(suppl 4):47-54

Marriage is universal, and pair bonding is found in other species
too with highly dependent young. So marriage functions as a
reproductive social arrangement that traditionally involved the
extended family. The sexes are not identical in their biological
contributions to children's survival, so they seek somewhat
different attributes in a mate. Men seek a young, attractive,
sexually faithful bride. Women seek a man who is older, taller, and
(as in many other species) socially dominant. Both sexes prefer a
kind, healthy, attractive, similar mate who is emotionally attached
to them. A spouse who fails to maintain sufficiently high mate value
is vulnerable to divorce. Infertility and sexual dissatisfaction
predict divorce, as does death of a child, but the more children,
the stabler the marriage. Cross-cultural data suggest that cruel or
subdominant men (e.g., poor providers) and unfaithful women are
prone to divorce. Marriages in which the wife dominates the husband
in economic contributions, nonverbal behavior, and decision making
tend to be less satisfying. In societies in which wives are
economically independent of husbands, divorce rates are high. As
women's economic power has risen with industrialization, divorce
rates have climbed. Economic and fitness considerations also help
explain cultural differences in polygyny, age at marriage, arranged
marriage, concern with the bride's sexual chastity, and marriage
ceremonies. Other factors also affect marital dynamics, such as
state subsidies to families, the sex ratio, and influence of the
couple's parents.

http://www.nel.edu/23_s4/NEL231002R05_Weisfeld.htm








More information about the Neur-sci mailing list

Send comments to us at biosci-help [At] net.bio.net