Parental status and gender preferences for children: is differential fertility stopping consistent with the trivers-willard hypothesis?

نویسندگان

  • Martin Kolk
  • Sebastian Schnettler
چکیده

Based on evolutionary reasoning, Trivers & Willard (1973) predicted status-biased sex composition and parental investment with son-preferencing effects in higher, and daughter-preferencing effects in lower status groups. Previous research shows mixed results. This study uses event-history methods and Swedish register data to study one possible mechanism in isolation: do parents in different status groups vary in their proclivities to continue fertility based on the sex composition of previous offspring? The results show no support for the Trivers-Willard hypothesis on a wide range of different status indicators. Future research on the stated hypothesis should focus on physiological rather than behavioural mechanisms.

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عنوان ژورنال:
  • Journal of biosocial science

دوره 45 5  شماره 

صفحات  -

تاریخ انتشار 2013