Human reproductive behaviour

Quality over quantity​

Features of an egg as well as the fact that a woman must commit more time and effort before, during and after having offspring means that a woman is selective, aiming for the most genetically fit partner as possible​

This minimizes the risks and means that men will compete to reproduce with her​

The characteristics women find attractive, e.g. height, increase chances of a man reproducing and are passed onto offspring, giving the offspring more chance of reproducing in the future​

This is known as the ‘Runway Process’ or ‘S e x y  Son Hypothesis’ (Fisher, 1930)​

Quantity over quality​

Men compete with other men to find a mate and any characteristic that helps them win, e.g. height, becomes dominant as they are more likely to reproduce​

This leads to distinct differences in men and women as characteristics such as these are not necessary for the woman as she isn’t in as much competition with other women​

This applies to behaviours too, e.g. aggression in males helps them beat off other men and protect their woman so is passed on to offspring