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Readings Carolyn Jessop Escape , Broadway Books. (pp. 1-8, 72-106, 22-227

Polygyny and prostitution Guest lecturer: Rose McDermott. Readings Carolyn Jessop Escape , Broadway Books. (pp. 1-8, 72-106, 22-227 Rose McDermott (2011) Expert Report with regard to The Polygamy Reference, Court No: Supreme Court of British Columbia, S- 097767 (pp. 1-25)

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Readings Carolyn Jessop Escape , Broadway Books. (pp. 1-8, 72-106, 22-227

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  1. Polygyny and prostitution Guest lecturer: Rose McDermott Readings Carolyn Jessop Escape, Broadway Books. (pp. 1-8, 72-106, 22-227 Rose McDermott (2011) Expert Report with regard to The Polygamy Reference, Court No: Supreme Court of British Columbia, S-097767 (pp. 1-25) Libby Copeland (2012). The problem with polygamy. Slate.com, January 30, 2012, pp. 1-2 (Comment on Henrich et al 2011).

  2. DEFINITIONS Monogamy 1 female, 1 male Polygamy Polygyny: 1 male, multiple females Simultaneous Polygynous family FLDS; Schwarzenegger Sequential New bond (remarriage) Newt Gingrich Polyandry: 1 female, multiple males Simultaneous Polyandrous family Nepal-Tibet Sequential New bond (remarriage) Elizabeth Taylor

  3. TWO USES OF ‘POLYGYNY’ AND ‘MONOGAMY’ Mating (breeding) system Polygyny Monogamy Polygyny Many mammals Absent Social e.g. gorilla (bonding) system Monogamy Most birds A few birds e.g. fairy-wren e.g. black vulture Some humans

  4. Superb fairy-wren Pair-bonded; pair-bond stable across years Females hold territories up to 8 years Often with male helpers, mostly female’s sons Extra-pair copulations 95% broods (n = 40) included extra-group fathers 76% offspring (n = 181) from extra-pair copulations Helpers (non-mating males) present  dominant male helps less  female mates with more extra-group males  female produces sons that are chosen more as mates The male is brighter than the female Mulder et al (1994) Proc Roy Soc B 255: 223-229.

  5. Superb fairy-wren Male mating polygyny Males repeatedly court extra-group females, but no immediate mating Courted females later choose to return to mate specific males Mulder et al (1994) Proc Roy Soc B 255: 223-229.

  6. Human systems

  7. Nuclear Extended Nuclear Family Mostly patrilocal Varies Neolocal Residence Polygyny Marriage Mon (+ Pol) Monogamy Spouse choice Self + kin Lineage groups Self Human breeding systems & subsistence Society Foraging Horticulture -> Agrarian Industrial

  8. Simultaneous polygyny Concubines Manchu Emperor Bedouin Congo Australian Widespread: 83% societies (of 849 world-wide) More in high-status men; often sororal (35%)

  9. Ibn Saud 1880-1953 Unified warring tribes Founder and first King of Saudi Arabia, 1932-53 How many male descendants? (= Crown princes) Estimated at 5000 - 7000! (from 150 wives)

  10. Most/all women married Often: most women polygynous Many men unmarried (trouble!) Kipsigis, Kenya (Mulder) Usually most men monogamous van den Berghe 1981 18 African countries 1921-51 Monogamous Polygynous % wives 39% 61% % husbands 61% 39% Sex differences in marriage within polygyny

  11. Serialpolygyny, USA 440 West Point graduates 1950 22% --> 2nd marriage Height  moreRS. How?? NO Children per wife Health SES YES # Marriages # Divorces Younger 2nd wife Mueller & Mazur (2001) Behav Ecol Sociobiol

  12. Simultaneous polygyny USA 7 wives 29 children 5 year jail-term Tom Green, Utah Utah polygamists in prison, early 20th century

  13. “Socially imposed monogamy” Industrial Societies Polygyny forbidden Associated with large complex societies, e.g. Ancient Rome

  14. “Ecologically imposed monogamy” Foraging Societies Polygyny allowed but difficult if men provide meat (all men roughly equal in value)

  15. “Ecologically imposed monogamy” Africa: mostly monogamous Successful men -> 2 wives Australia: mostly polygynous Successful men > 10 wives Efe Tiwi Hadza

  16. Low-status man, Yanomamö Polyandrous wedding, Nepal Simultaneous polyandry One wife, plural husbands Rare: 4 societies in 849 (0.5%) Always co-occurs with polygyny (high-status men are polygynous) Found mostly briefly, in low-status men Often fraternal

  17. Stratified societies: significant wealth at top Top males buy as many females as possible Females compete to be attractive Males want easily-guarded females Extreme male power tends to be used for reproduction Ecology of hypergyny (females marrying up) M. Dickemann 1979-81

  18. Mated 100’s or 1000’s of women Chose virgins Monitored health, fertility Used wet nurses Secluded women in clothes and fortifications Guarded women with eunuchs or women Terrible punishments for adultery Easy access to women of less powerful men Collected women as spoils of war Tendencies of powerful men in all major civilizations Mesopotamia Egypt Aztec Inca India China Bathsheba (Rembrandt) Betzig (1993)

  19. Emperors: thousands of women Great princes: hundreds Nobility, generals, princes: ~30 Upper middle-class men: 6-12 Middle-class: 3-4 Extent of polygyny parallelleda man’s power China 600 AD Inca 1500’s AD Emperor: thousands of women Lords: > 700 “Principal persons”: 50 Leaders of vassal nations: 30 Heads of 100,000 provinces: 20 Leaders of 1000: 15 Governors of 100: 8 Petty chiefs of 50: 7 Chiefs over 10: 5 Chiefs over 5: 3 Rest: good luck! Betzig (1993) Concubines, Manchu dynasty

  20. Married monogamously Selected a single male heir Inbred with well-endowed women Imposed celibacy on many younger sons Imposed celibacy or suicide on widows Imposed celibacy on many daughters Powerful men in major civilizations Mesopotamia Egypt Aztec Inca India China Suleiman - killed all sons except one, to ensure succession Betzig (1993)

  21. “As marriage historian Stephanie Coontz has pointed out, polygyny is less about sex than it is about power.” (Copeland 2012) Male gets female labor Male gets respect from other males (via controlling access to daughters) But polygyny also systems for increasing reproduction No males in regal palace (Uganda) Eunuchs

  22. Wealth & polygyny

  23. Animal polygyny: high RS for males

  24. Who should she marry? The polygyny threshold model First wife Female RS 10 Second wife 5 0 Male Wealth 4 Rich Dude (as WIFE #2) Poor Dude (as WIFE #1)

  25. Shows importance of male control of resources Explains polygyny as partly due to female interests Predicts polygyny if large inequality among males Predicts monogamy if NO inequality among males (female should always prefer unmated male) Predicts little reproductive inequality among females Significance of the Polygyny Threshold Model

  26. Richer 50% Poorer 50% Total Children Born by age 60 8 6 4 2 0 Women Men Support for the Polygyny Threshold Model Turkmen, Iran, 1970’s 1. Rich women do slightly better 2. Rich men do much better Irons 1979

  27. Patrilocal residence Wealth varies Sexual selection in Kipsigis (western Kenya) (Borgerhoff-Mulder)

  28. Cooperative male groups Large fields Divided for co-wives Large cattle herds Big wedding party Kipsigis: rich men

  29. More children More wives Bride-price negotiation Kipsigis: rich men

  30. Mostly work individually Children help Friends cooperate Kipsigis: co-wives

  31. Rich co-wives --> high RS Poor co-wives --> low RS Polygyny in Kipsigis: bad for poor co-wives 8 RS Rich husband 6 Mid-wealth husband 4 Poor husband 2 0 0 1 2 3 # co-wives

  32. Females tend to benefit from a pair-bond Ache, Paraguay Ache: father leaves (death or divorce) -> 50% increase in child’s death rate Child survival Hill & Hurtado 1995

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