Effects of gender inequality and wealth inequality on within-sex mating competition under hypergyny

Brooks, Robert C.; Fromhage, Lutz

doi:10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2022.08.006

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Over the past four decades in Norway, the proportion of people not in established relationships has increased from 24% to 33% ( Bergløff, 2021 ). An important driver of this development appears to be how female mate preferences disincentivize women from settling for the increasing number of men who now have relatively lower status—and less crucial provisioning to offer ( Buss, 2016 ; Brooks et al, 2022 ). This can be viewed as a low-PSR effect.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An evolutionary case for polygyny to counter demographic collapse

Larsen

2023

Front. Psychol.

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Sex ratio theory suggests why mating practices have become dysfunctional in the West and other regions. Spain, Japan, and over 20 other nations are on course to have their populations halved by 2100, dramatically aging their citizenry. Experts and opinion makers warn that a demographic collapse cannot be absorbed by our current social order; Elon Musk proclaims this to be “the biggest threat to human civilization.” Statistics from the Nordic countries—the world’s most gender-equal region—indicate that subjective perceptions of the sex ratio in modern environments drive singledom and low reproduction. Scandinavia has the world’s highest occurrence of one-person households: 43–46%. In the past decade, the Norwegian fertility rate dropped from 2.0 to 1.5. Sex ratio studies suggest that women’s perception of there being few acceptable partners activates a polygynous mindset, which in prosperous, monogamous societies drives promiscuity to the detriment of pair-bonding. More than 6 million years of hominin evolution under promiscuous, polygynous, and monogamous regimes shaped mate preferences that evoke different cultural and behavioral responses as environments change. The Church’s imposition of lifelong monogamy contributed to the emergence of the modern world, but if this world’s gender-equal societies no longer motivate reproduction, being more open to polygyny could be worth considering as a means for increasing fertility. This article makes this case by exploring hominin mating from our last common ancestor with chimpanzees—through the genus Homo’s forager and agricultural periods—to modern Scandinavians. In the past millennium, mating practices have coevolved with the emergence of modernity, necessitating frequent cultural updates. An evolutionary analysis of Nordic works of literature illuminates the ways in which ideological narratives influence reproductive norms. The insights gleaned are considered in the context of people’s perceived sex ratio.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With improved gender equality, women sorted away the poorest men. Rising economic inequity makes women exclude those men who are just below average ( Brooks et al, 2022 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An evolutionary case for polygyny to counter demographic collapse

Larsen

2023

Front. Psychol.

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“…The fact that most Western women no longer are materially or morally dependent on being in a long-term relationship motivates them to exclude the least compelling men from their pool of potential pair-bonding candidates. Gender equality and economic inequality drive women to focus their mate attraction efforts on a shrinking proportion of men (Brooks, Blake, et al, 2022). Sex differences in mate preferences empower women in short-term markets, giving them practically unlimited access to casual sex with higher-value men (Buss & Schmitt, 2011).…”

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confidence: 99%

Enough with the incels! A literary cry for help from female insings (involuntary single).

Larsen,

Kennair

2024

Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences

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Modern mating markets relegate a growing number of men to being incels (involuntary celibate). Increasing attention befalls another group struggling in the same markets: female insings (involuntary single). In the partly autobiographical novel, Half of Malmö Consists of Guys Who Dumped Me (2021), Amanda Romare dramatizes how urban dating and technologies like Tinder exploit women's evolved mate preferences in a manner that drives addiction and dysfunction. Many women have practically unlimited access to serial dating and short-term sex with highly attractive men, but such experiences can leave women less able to calibrate their mating strategies, thus making it harder to acquire a long-term partner. Romare argues that incels get too much attention, as our culture blinds us to the plight of lonely women. To investigate the insing phenomenon, we apply sexual strategies theory, sexual conflict theory, and other frameworks from evolutionary psychology. Mismatch, conflicting desires, and exploitative technologies make many women prioritize mate qualities that misalign with their pair-bonding ambitions. Juxtaposing Romare's novel with the TV series Sigurd Can't Get Laid (2020-2022) aids us in comparing insings to incels. Our analysis illustrates how both groups fall victim to our evolved mate preferences. Communities that develop a better understanding of these preferences could improve intersexual communication, which might help them find more productive ways to mate. Public Significance StatementOur two fictional case studies illuminate why an alarming number of youths are opting out of both short-and long-term mating. High singledom and sexual inactivity may contribute to our era's impending demographic collapse, which threatens social stability and human prospering. Analyzing fictional portrayals of dating dysfunction through the lens of evolutionary psychology could generate insights that help individuals and communities progress past our current malaise.

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