Hoggamus, Higgamus, Women Polygamous: Biological Causes and Psychological Effects of Non-Monogamy in Women

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Hoggamus, Higgamus, Women Polygamous
Biological Causes and Psychological Effects of
Non-Monogamy in Women

• Kathryn Macfarlane Tierney Kuhn

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Fact

• 90 of Americans believe that adultery is morally
  wrong.
• 17 of divorces in the US are caused by
  infidelity.
• 22 of married men have strayed, at least once,
  outside of their marriage.
• 14 of married women have had affairs at least
  once during their marriage.

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The Scope of This Presentation

• Do women biologically seek more exclusive or
  longer-term relationships than men?
• Do women suffer more psychological consequences
  from serial monogamy or open relationships?
• Should society sanction only a single monogamous
  relationship, a series of committed monogamous
  relationships, or non-monogamous relationships?

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Defining Terms, Pt. 1

• Monogamy
• Marriage with only one person at a time (in this
  presentation)
• Married only once during life

• Serial monogamy
• A pattern of successive long- or short- term
  relationships

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Defining Terms, Pt. 2

• Social monogamy
• Emotional support
• Financial/material support
• Joint child-rearing
• Sexual monogamy
• Both partners have sex only with each other

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Defining Terms, Pt. 3

• Open relationship
• A relationship that is socially but not sexually
  exclusive with the knowledge and consent of both
  partners
• Infidelity
• Sexual non-monogamy without the consent or
  knowledge of one partner

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Are women biologically engineered to be
monogamous?

• What is shown in the animal kingdom?
• Where are human males comparatively?
• What are the biggest differences between males
  and females?

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Are women biologically engineered to be
monogamous?

• What is shown in the animal kingdom?
• Where are human males comparatively?
• What are the biggest differences between males
  and females?

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Ape Males

• ? Gorilla males compete with their body size
• ? Chimp males compete with their testicle size.
• ? Gorillas have huge bodies and tiny testicles
• ? Chimps have small bodies and huge testicles.

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• ? A dominate male gorilla gains control over a
  group of females and guarantees that he will be
  the only male to copulate with them.
• ? Chimps have a sexual free-for-all
• ? Several males copulating consecutively with one
  adult female.
• ? It is said that In most species, the ratio of
  testicle size to body size is a good predictor of
  how many sexual partners an animal is likely to
  have.

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Human Males

• ? Human male size falls somewhere in between on
  the chimp-gorilla scale.
• Using the testicle size to body size ratio as an
  indicator
• ? Human males are partially biologically
  inclined to form single partner relationships
• ? There is a fine line between monogamy and
  adultery.

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Langurs

• ? Females are promiscuous to ensure the survival
  of their offspring.
• ? Langur monkeys change dominate males every 27
  months or so
• ? The new male leader will kill any baby that
  isnt his.
• ? If the male has copulated with a female he will
  spare her infant.
• ? The female will have sex outside of her
  dominate males regime to save her infant when a
  new male comes to power.
• (Sarah Hrdy)

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Lions

• Females copulating in a manner that is best for
  their offspring can be seen in lions in the
  opposite fashion however.
• ? One dominate male will form a pack with several
  females.
• ? The male will mate with every female but the
  females will only mate with him.
• ? Dominate male in the pack is generally the
  strongest and best lion around
• ? Female ensures her cub receives the best
  possible genes and best rate for survival.

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Differences

• Deflating The Myth of Monogamy
• ? Males produce an amazingly large number of
  sperm
• ? Little follow-through necessary for successful
  reproduction.
• ? Females produce fewer eggs at a far greater
  cost
• -Almost all eggs are fertilized
• -Most sperm is wasted.
• (Barash P.D. 2001 )

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As For Humans

• Mate Preferences In 37 Cultures
• ? Males have little to loss take little energy
  and time
• ? Maximize success by mating with more females
• ? Leads them to have a greater interest in
  uncommitted sex.

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• ? A female has to invest nine months, and several
  more years to the offspring.
• ? Limits how many children a woman can have in a
  lifetime.
• ? Leads women to want committed relationships
• ? They can increase their reproductive success by
  selectively mating.
• (Buss M.D. 1994)

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Dissimilarly

• NYTimes
• ? The higher of women slept with, the less
  attractive a man is
• ? Women are fertile 5-6 days a month.
• ? 65 chance the sperm wont fertilize the egg
• ? 30 chance of miscarriage
• ? 1-2 chance of a baby with every fleeting
  episode of sex

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• ? Many different contradicting theories.
• ? Biologically females are just as inclined to be
  as promiscuous as males.
• ? Sometimes more so if it will benefit the
  offspring.
• ? Biological monogamy on a species-to-species
  basis, rather then male vs. female

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Summary of Psychological Differences

• Infidelity
• More likely to demand social monogamy
• More likely to commit emotional infidelity, less
  likely to commit sexual
• More likely to ignore or reconceptualize
• Divorce
• No real difference in psychological trauma
• More satisfied with family relationships
• Much more likely to suffer economically

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Emotional Effects of Infidelity, Pt. 1

• Emotional most acceptable, emotional and sexual
  least
• Men 76 more likely to have extramarital sex

• 40 of both dated others during serious
  relationship and report extramarital involvement

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Emotional Effects of Infidelity, Pt. 3

• Communication, avoidance, reappraisal
• Women, especially with low self-esteem, are more
  likely to exhibit avoidance or reappraisal
• Reflects traditional female socialization

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Emotional Effects of Open Relationships

• Ability to dissociate sex, love and marriage
  minimizes but does not eliminate negative
  emotional effects
• Majority of men and women report feeling jealous
  at one point or another

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Emotional Effects of Serial Monogamy, Pt. 1

• Overwhelming consensus that divorced individuals
  are less happy, more psychologically distressed,
  more socially isolated, and poorer
• Stress is greatest before decision, least after
  divorce
• Some factors are correlational
• Many studies do not search for positive effects

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Emotional Effects of Serial Monogamy, Pt. 2

• Meta-analysis found 4 studies show women
  experience more psychological trauma 7, men 4,
  no difference
• Definitions of trauma vary depression common
• Women are substantially more satisfied with
  family relationships
• Women report improvements in career
  opportunities, social lives, self-confidence,
  sense of control, and happiness

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Emotional Effects of Serial Monogamy, Pt. 3

• Meta-analysis found 10 studies demonstrating new
  relationships ameliorate negative effects
• Women form new relationships more easily, due in
  part to oxytocin
• Consequences are more severe for women whose
  marital identity was important

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Economic Effects of Serial Monogamy

• Standard of living
• Mothers 36 decrease
• Fathers 28 increase
• Paternal standard twice maternal standard
• Economically independent women are more likely to
  get divorced

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Western Male/Female Roles, Pt. 1

• Prior to Enlightenment
• Submit to authority king/church/father
• After Enlightenment
• Rights of the individual
• Classical liberalism democracy capitalism
• Needed counterweight for egotistical competition
• Intensified after Industrial Revolution, leading
  to idea of sentimentality

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Western Male/Female Roles, Pt. 2

• Women
• Passive
• Emotional
• Nurturing
• Cooperative

• Men
• Active
• Rational
• Independent
• Competitive

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Counterexamples

• Mundugumor all individuals aggressive and
  competitive
• Arapesh all individuals passive and cooperative
• Tchabuli women fished, governed and were active
  men were subordinate

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Defining Acceptable Relationships

• Natural good
• Avoid double standard

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Limitations of This Presentation

• Biological models and statistics reveal nothing
  about individuals
• The scope of this paper does not include
• Religious or moral objections
• What societys standard of monogamy should be,
  provided it is consistent

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Selected References

• Amato, P. (2000). The Consequences of Divorce for
  Adults and Children. Electronic version.
  Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62,
  1269-1287.
• Amato, P. and Rogers, S. (1997). A longitudinal
  study of marital problems and subsequent
  divorce. Electronic version. Journal of
  Marriage and the Family, 59, 3, 612-624.
• Babin, B. (n.d) Sex Differences in Emotional and
  Sexual Infidelity. Retrieved on May 26, 2008
  from http//www.uwm.edu/Dept/Commun/pdf/babin.pdf.
  
• Batalova, J. and Cohen, P. (2002). Premarital
  cohabitation and housework couples in
  cross-national perspective. Electronic version.
  National Council on Family Relations, 64, 3,
  743-755.
• Buunk, B. (1982). Strategies of jealousy styles
  of coping with extramarital involvement of the
  spouse. Electronic version. Family Relations,
  31, 1, 13-18.
• Coontz, S. (1992). The Way We Never Were. New
  York Basic Books.
• Kimmel, M. (2000). The Gendered Society. New
  York Oxford University Press.
• Treas, J. and Giesen, D. (2000). Sexual
  infidelity among married and cohabiting
  Americans. Electronic version. Journal of
  Marriage and the Family, 26, 1, 48- 60.
• Thompson, A. (1984). Emotional and Sexual
  Components of Extramarital Relations.
  Electronic version. Journal of Marriage and
  the Family, 46, 1, 35-42.
• Zickland, C. and Smith, K. (1991). Martial
  Transitions, Poverty, and Gender Differences in
  Mortality. Electronic version. Journal of
  Marriage and the Family, 53.