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The Puzzle of Monogamous Marriage

The Puzzle of Monogamous Marriage. Joseph Henrich , Robert Boyd, and Peter J. Richerson (2012). The puzzle of monogamous marriage. Philosophical Transaction of the Royal Society , 367: 657-669. Polygyny.

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The Puzzle of Monogamous Marriage

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  1. The Puzzle of Monogamous Marriage Joseph Henrich, Robert Boyd, and Peter J. Richerson (2012). The puzzle of monogamous marriage. Philosophical Transaction of the Royal Society, 367: 657-669.

  2. Polygyny • Number of wives associated with power and wealth with more wives meaning greater power and wealth. • With greater inequality of wealth, polygyny becomes more common among those with greater wealth.

  3. Mating Strategies • In high competition situations, unattractive low-status males will engage in more risky behavior to avoid fitness oblivion (not mating). • In low competition situations, status gains do not lead to greater reproductive success and thus a male will be more adverse to risk and more likely to pair bond. • Females generally seek higher status males.

  4. Marriage Systems • Distinct from mating strategies. • Part of cultural learning and cultural norms. • Failure to adhere to norms can cause an individual to be outcast.

  5. Hypotheses • The modern package of norms and institutions that constitutes monogamous marriage has been shaped by cultural evolution driven by inter group competition. • Because… • Monogamous marriage reduces the intensity of intra sexual competition. • Normative monogamy reduces intra household conflict.

  6. Method • Examination of evolution of Mormon communities that adopted normative monogamous marriage over polygamy. • Cross-sectional analysis of several nations with different normative marital practices.

  7. Results and Findings • Imposition of normative monogamous marriage decreases intra sexual competition. • Lower rates of crime. • Reduced spousal age gap, gender inequality, and fertility. • Increased GDP per capita. Normative monogamy reduces intra-household conflict. • Greater paternal investment and elimination of conflict between co-wives.

  8. Discussion • Normative monogamous marriage likely spread due to its impact on intergroup competitive success. • Decreased crime likely spurred commerce, travel, and free flow of ideas and innovations. • Low status males would be more likely to marry and more likely to look to the future rather than engage in status elevating risky behavior. • Higher status males would invest more in children rather than the addition of wives which would lead to better education and advancement of society.

  9. Monogamy: The Golden Parenting Standard http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYdqjV4eruY

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