The relationship between sexual selection and human reproductive behaviour

Sexual Selection - A01

Males use physical attractiveness to indicate reproductive fitness more than females. Body symmetry and waist-to-hip ratio are key indicators of genetic fitness, and individuals with these characteristics will have enhanced reproductive chances. Men universally give higher priority to 'good looks', since they reply on appearance to assess a females age and health. Younger, healthier women with large eyes and lips are typically indicators of reproductive ability. Females are less concerned about physical attractiveness when selecting a mate since they cannot accurately assess fertility from appearance, as age is not an issue for males as it is for females. Females will look for strong and powerful men who are in control of resources that will improve the welfare of her and an infant.

On a balance, men are much more likely to engage in short term relationships than females, which is believed to be due to their desire to impregnate as many women as possible to maximise their genetic output into the population. Buss found that men would (on average) prefer 8 partners over the course of 2 years whilst women would prefer only 1. Women are a lot more choosy when it comes to deciding who to mate with, as they produce relatively few eggs and so need to maximise their chances of successful reproduction. They do this through the use of various stratergies such as careful mate selection, monogamy and high parental investment. Males on the other hand seem to be driven more by on quantity rather than quality as their levels of parental investment are relatively low compared to the woman.

Sexual Selection - A02

Clark et al:Carried out a study involving total strangers approaching a sample of both males and females from the opposite sex and propositioning them with one of the following requests. Either to go out on a date with them, go back to there house with them or to have sex with them. It was found that 50% of each sex agreed to go out on a date, but 0% of women and 75% of men agreed to having sex with them. This supports the idea that men prefer more sexual partners than women.

Buss:Looked at sex differences in long term mate preferences by exploring what males and females look for in a marriage partner using over 10000 people. Found that women more than men desired mates who were 'good financial prospects', which translates to a desire for men with resources. Also, men valued physical appearance and youth very highly when looking for a mate, showing they value fertility and reproductive abilities very highly. 

Sexual Selection - A03

Reductionist:Clear that the theory is reductionist as it attempts to explain sexual selection as being biologically and evolutionary driven. In doing so, it neglects other theories such as social learning theory, which would suggest we learn who to be attracted to by seeing who the media tells us to.  This can be seen in real life as a generation ago, curvy women were seen to be the most attractive, however, now it is very slender women. It is implausible to suggest that this view had evolved, and therefore it is clear that the explanation of sexual selection may be a combination of many factors, and so the evolutionary theory is too simplistic. 

Deterministic:Assumes that our behaviour has not changed since the EEA. Therefore cannot explain free will, and why the number of couples choosing not to reproduce is increasing. According to this theory the very essence of our existence is to reproduce, yet 1 in 5 women are now choosing not to have children.Unfalsifiable:We are unable to go back in time and see whether such behaviours existed in the EEA and therefore the scientific value of a theory that cannot be proven is brought into question. If indeed psychology is a science, then it requires empirical evidence, which the evolutionary theory cannot provide.