Transcript Sex Wars - Gresham College

SEX WARS
THE CONFLICTING NEEDS OF MEN AND WOMEN
Glenn Wilson PhD, Gresham College, London
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
A high proportion of all violence is
domestic (23% in this Scottish
study).
Majority of victims are women but
also many men (around 40% ).
GENDER BATTLES
Alliances may be forged within gender for political reasons,
e.g. equal pay, anti-rape campaigns.
In Aristophanes comedy Lysistrata, the women gang together to
withhold sex from their men until they stop the war with Sparta.
INTEREST IN CASUAL SEX
Men have a greater interest in partner variety and
one-night stands than women. Because of their
greater parental investment, women prefer to wait
until there is evidence of emotional involvement.
THE TYRANNY OF AMBIGUITY
Men often infer sexual
interest where only
friendliness is intended
(thus causing offense).
Women sometimes use
flirtation to get what they
want (resulting in
resentment).
MALE DECEPTION
Men sometimes seduce women by feigning
emotional commitment.
Women guard against this by requiring greater
courtship effort and investment.
THE OLDEST PROFESSION
One solution to the conflicting needs of men (casual
sex) and women (resources) is prostitution.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Women are more likely to take
offense but particularly if the
man is married, unattractive,
older or of low occupational
status.
Approaches seen as coercive
and sexual rather than romantic
are less welcome.
IS RAPE ADAPTIVE?
Rape may have evolved
because, although risky and
repugnant, it gives “losers” a
chance of gene replication
when consenting sex is not
available.
Rapists tend to be high in
libido, impulsive, lacking
empathy, with a history of
property crime, but are not
usually sexually deprived.
RAPE AND FERTILITY
Rape victims seem to get
pregnant beyond chance:
8% against 3% for onenight stand (unprotected).
Women targeted by
rapists are especially
fertile at the time.
Tend to be young,
attractive, vulnerable and
likely to be ovulating.
ASKING FOR IT?
Women are more flirtatious
when ovulating (exposing more
flesh and dancing more
provocatively).
They are also more interested in
sex, more easily aroused, and
prone to infidelity.
Idea that women “contribute to
their own rape” is highly
controversial.
PHEROMONE WARS
Men secrete
androstenone which
repels women except for
those that are ovulating.
Women secrete copulins
which interfere with
male’s ability to
discriminate against
unattractive women.
INFANTICIDE
Lions kill offspring of
lioness not fathered by
themselves before
reimpregnating them.
c.f., Greater likelihood of
human baby being
murdered by step-parent
(40-100x).
Mothers who kill their own
babies are usually in the
thrall of new male partner.
RATES OF CHILD MURDER
INFIDELITY
Men gain genetic
advantage from wider gene
distribution, hence desire
for multiple partners.
Women may gain from
affairs through “fertility
insurance” and acquisition
of “good genes”. Paternal
discrepancy is about 10%.
BREEDING STRATEGIES
Promiscuity (bonobo & chimpanzee).
Coercive sex (orang-utan).
Harem-building (gorilla).
Monogamy (gibbon).
Pick and mix (humans).
SPERM COMPETITION
Promiscuity and infidelity
promote sperm competition and
large testicles.
Human sperm are not all the
same. Apparently some are egggetters; others kamikazes
(specialised to destroy sperm of
other males in the female
reproductive tract).
May be important because 30%
of sexually experienced women
report having had sex with
different men within 24hrs.
JEALOUSY
Jealousy is the emotion felt
when one feels threatened by
a love rival.
For men this focuses on
sexual penetration (fear of
cuckoldry).
For women emotional
involvement is a bigger issue
(fear of relationship loss).
MATE RETENTION TACTICS
Men favour display of resources
(expensive gifts), vigilance
(checking on partner)
concealment (leaving partner at
home), submission (pleading),
threatening rivals with violence
and partner with punishment.
Women favour appearance
enhancement (clothes & makeup) & jealousy induction
(showing interest in rivals to
keep partner on toes).
DENIGRATION
Abuse, insult, humiliation and
public belittling of the partner
may be a mate retention tactic
– making them feel worthless,
so they think nobody else
would want them.
Many women stay in abusive
relationships because their
self-confidence has been
destroyed.
SEX ADDICTION
Sexual excitement seeking
may be so strong that the
happy home is disrupted
and charges of harassment
may occur.
Attaching medical-style
labels may help
individuals evade
responsibility for their
behaviour and promote
drug treatments.
MAKING PEACE
Sex conflict is deeprooted because male
and female needs are
not always
complementary.
First step to peace is
mutual understanding
(recognition of natural
differences).
This needs to be
followed by tolerance
and negotiated
compromise.