Comments on: THE GROUCHY GUY: WHY GROUCHY GUYS DREAD MARRIAGE

By: Lawrence Josephs, Ph.D.

Lawrence Josephs, Ph.D. — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 19:55:52 +0000

Viewing women as property may be a product of civilization which has allowed for the monopolization of resources by dominant males. In hunter-gatherer societies, there is cooperative childcare and food sharing. The best hunters may have two wives but most men have only one wife. The women as independent foragers are quite independent in gathering food and may also have the support of maternal kin so that women aren’t entirely dependent on the provisioning of their husbands. In some of these cultures the married women may be just as likely to have sexual trysts in the woods as the men (i.e. no sexual double standard). Thus in hunter-gatherer societies there is what’s called “reproductive leveling,” the dominant men don’t have the ability to have large harems so men benefit more by fathering their children then by seeking additional wives.

By: Jenell

Jenell — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 20:22:46 +0000

Finally! Someone with some sense! Ploygamy is what happens when women are seen as property.

By: uberVU - social comments

uberVU - social comments — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 00:25:23 +0000

Social comments and analytics for this post…

This post was mentioned on Twitter by heisberger: Why Grouchy Guys Dread Marriage http://bit.ly/LanRj What are your thoughts?…

By: IWasWondering

IWasWondering — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:00:35 +0000

I actually read this blog tongue in cheek thinking it was half a joke…

Then it hit me and i realised it was supposed to be a serious post. Wow!..

Too many generalisations and assumptions made to even be considered insightful. Interesting a read all the same…

By: Lawrence Josephs, Ph.D.

Lawrence Josephs, Ph.D. — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:36:35 +0000

Evelyn, that’s a great question! Polygamy only really benefits high status dominant men who have multiple wives and to a lesser extent women who would rather share a rich man than marry a poor one. Polygamy hurts many men because if a few men monopolize a bunch of women, many men will be entirely shut out of the marriage market. Monogamy is good for the majority of men, though they don’t like to admit it, because all men can potentially have a wife and usually a more desirable wife than under a polygamous system. It’s potentially good for women too if they are lucky enough to get one loyal and devoted husband and father, who isn’t too grouchy, who they don’t have to share with anyone else. Polygamy is more common in societies with a large economic disparity between rich and poor. Monogamy is more common in societies with more economic equality.

By: Evelyn

Evelyn — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:41:14 +0000

Thanks for addressing some of the alternative ways of looking at evolutionary psychology. New Week dated June 29, 2009 had a good article addressing the notion of rape and evolutionary psychology. What is your take on polygamy as found in religions such as Islam and Mormonism?