Inheritance as an instrument of parental control over mating

Bibliographic Data

ID2930748
AuthorsM Apostolou (0000-0002-0685-1848, University of Nicosia, Cyprus,, corresponding author)
Year2011
Volume28
Issue3
Pages374-382
Publication date2011-05-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Social and Personal Relationships (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0265-4075 • E-ISSN: 1460-3608
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0265407510384421
OpenAlexW2112387808
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited19

Wealth is often controlled by a society's male members and as such passes to future generations through the male line. Sons have a strong interest in the wealth they receive from their fathers, which enables the latter to employ inheritance rights so as to manipulate the former's mating decisions. On this basis, two hypotheses are tested. First, in societies where male offspring enjoy inheritance rights, men are more influential over marriage arrangements. Second, as more male-controlled wealth is produced in agropastoral than in hunting and gathering societies, male offspring are more likely to benefit from inheritance rights in the former that in the latter societies. Evidence from the Standard Cross-cultural Sample provides support for both hypotheses. These findings explain partially why sexual selection under male parental choice is stronger in agropastoral than in foraging societies

Biology · Control (management · Economics · Foraging · Inheritance (genetic algorithm · Mating · Offspring · Pregnancy · Selection (genetic algorithm · Sexual selection · Culture, Economy, and Development Studies · Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences · Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior · Psychology · Social Psychology · Ecology · Genetics

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