Women’s Mating Strategies What does a woman want? By: Elena Rodriguez, Natali Gonzalez, and Crisara Abrams

What type of man does a woman want? Good condition Healthy Mates Healthy Mates Physical condition Heritability (offspring) Prefer males with low fluctuating asymmetry Prefer males with low fluctuating asymmetry Bilateral asymmetry Resources Value of financial prospects Value of financial prospects Attributes Attributes Maturity, ambition, industriousness Maturity, ambition, industriousness

What type of man does a woman want? Status Children of high status men Children of high status men Heritability Heritability Likely to protect women Likely to protect women value indicators of status value indicators of status Egalitarian societies Egalitarian societies

Conflicts of interest with other women Direct competition Aggression between women competing for a man Aggression between women competing for a man Accusations of promiscuity Accusations of promiscuity Importance of fidelity Importance of fidelity Provoked by jealousy Provoked by jealousy Aggression favored when: Women choose mates Women choose mates Shortage of men Shortage of men High variability High variability Sexually unrestricted competitors Sexually unrestricted competitors Lower classes of societies Lower classes of societies Low paternal investment Low paternal investment Reputation Reputation Reproductive value and marrying upward Reproductive value and marrying upward

Conflicts of interest with other women Indirect competition Looking youthful Looking youthful Smooth skin, good muscle tone Youthful facial feature more attractive Small waist to hip ratio Estrogen dependent Estrogen dependent Appearing faithful Appearing faithful Mothers report that newborn infants look just like dad Concern about female chastity Virginity also enforced by other women (clitoridectomy) Dowry Dowry Female-female competition In highly stratified and strictly monogamous societies

Conflicts of interest with men Having both ways: mixed strategies “cads” VS “dads” “cads” VS “dads” “extra-pair” matings “extra-pair” matings Short-term mating for good genes Short-term mating for good genes “high retention” female orgasm more likely with extra-pair partner “high retention” female orgasm more likely with extra-pair partner More value on physical attractiveness More value on physical attractiveness

Making a Choice: Sexual Restrictedness Proximate determinants Proximate determinants Flaunt sexuality or advertise infidelity Genetic and early learning for sexual restrictedness Personality heritable “father-absent studies” Adaptive explanations Adaptive explanations Woman’s economic options Sexual restrictions and high paternal investment Ratio of men to women Other women restricted Males provide significant investment Baby boom theory Economic self-sufficiency and sexual freedom

Making a Choice: Competing against Men Men less likely to invest when returns are small Men less likely to invest when returns are small Maturity, dominance, and successful competition Maturity, dominance, and successful competition Mature features Mature features Self-deprecating behavior Self-deprecating behavior Advertises woman’s need for investment Advertises woman’s need for investment Theory not proven Theory not proven

Critique: Interesting Points: One way that women will participate in direct competition is by accusations of promiscuity and/or infidelity of other women. A woman’s sexual reputation is important because it plays a significant role in maintaining a man, who is not keen on continuing in a relationship where there is threat of paternal insecurity. One way that women will participate in direct competition is by accusations of promiscuity and/or infidelity of other women. A woman’s sexual reputation is important because it plays a significant role in maintaining a man, who is not keen on continuing in a relationship where there is threat of paternal insecurity. Women have reported experiencing high retention orgasms more in their extra marital relations than with their original mate. Women have reported experiencing high retention orgasms more in their extra marital relations than with their original mate. Girls who grew up in “father-absent homes”, meaning that their parents divorced when the girls were very young, tended to act more seductively with men than did girls whose fathers died or whose parents divorced when they were older. Girls who grew up in “father-absent homes”, meaning that their parents divorced when the girls were very young, tended to act more seductively with men than did girls whose fathers died or whose parents divorced when they were older.

Weak Arguments The Yanomamo men who have killed more enemies have more wives and higher social status. This is said to be the result of their physical attractiveness. We are not told who the Yanomamo people are, just that they are from Chagnon. We are not given any context about this place or the people at all. Also, it is implied that because they kill so many people is why they have more wives. Guttentag and Secord related the dramatic increase of divorce, illegitimate births, and unmarried couples living together in the 1960’s to the baby boom of the 1950’s. They claim that women born during this period were searching for mates that were born a few years earlier. This then created low sex ratios, therefore allowing males to get away with not investing. We really did not see how women, just be being baby boomers, would be okay with men not investing. We thought that this could have been because of the changing social climate, it being a more liberal time. One reason they give for why men invest in their children is to attract other potential mates, not to help their offspring to thrive. We did not agree with this because this means that that males are not concerned with their offspring’s survival and that they are more focused on finding more mates. We thought that this was a bit out there. One reason they give for why men invest in their children is to attract other potential mates, not to help their offspring to thrive. We did not agree with this because this means that that males are not concerned with their offspring’s survival and that they are more focused on finding more mates. We thought that this was a bit out there.

Test Questions: Multiple choice What do the traits mature, tall, and good looking signify to women? Healthy High Status More Resources All of the above None of the above Which of these are a form of female-female direct competition? VirginityMakeupBackstabbingMoney What is the best way to attract a “dad”? Make lots of money Flaunt your sexuality Promote your virginity Only pretend to be faithful True/False Women prefer men with asymmetrical faces. Women prefer men with asymmetrical faces. Direct competition between women is more acute in richer societies Direct competition between women is more acute in richer societies “High retention” orgasms are more likely during affairs “High retention” orgasms are more likely during affairs

Reference Cashdan, E. (1998). Womens mating strategies. Journal of Evolutionary Anthropology, 5,