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The battle of the sexes over distribution of male surplus

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Wooders, Myrna Holtz and Berg, Hugo van den (2001) The battle of the sexes over distribution of male surplus. Working Paper. Coventry: University of Warwick, Department of Economics. Warwick economic research papers (No.610).

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Abstract

Female primates carry and nurse the fetus, and thus have the first responsibility for rearing the offspring. Assuming males are at least equally adept at obtaining food, males might either share surplus food with females or consume the food themselves. The distribution of the surplus is the subject of a battle of the sexes. If females succeed in obtaining a large share of the surplus, then there is little size dimorphism between males and females; otherwise males use the surplus themselves to become larger and stronger, and to engage in sexual competition with other males. Besides competing with males, females may compete with each other. Dependency may coincide with sexual competitiveness (sexiness). This paper introduces these ideas in a game theoretic setting and derives a simple bound on the male ‘sexiness’ required for a nonsupportive strategy to be worthwhile.

Item Type:

Working or Discussion Paper (Working Paper)

Subjects:

Q Science > QA Mathematics
H Social Sciences > HM Sociology

Divisions:

Faculty of Science > Mathematics
Faculty of Social Sciences > Economics

Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):

Sex role, Sexual division of labor, Game theory, Evolution (Biology), Polygyny, Fathers

Series Name:

Warwick economic research papers

Publisher:

University of Warwick, Department of Economics

Place of Publication:

Coventry

Official Date:

21 November 2001

Dates:

Date	Event
21 November 2001	Published

Number:

No.610

Number of Pages:

Status:

Not Peer Reviewed

Access rights to Published version:

Open Access

References:

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[7] Kaplan, H. and A.J. Robson (1999) “The co-evolution of human longevity and intelligence in hunter-gatherer economies,” typescript.
[8] Landers, J. (1992) “Reconstructing ancient populations,” in The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Human Evolution, eds. S. Jones. R. Martin and D. Pilbean, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK., 402-405.
[9] Mace, G. (1992) “Differences between the sexes,” in The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Human Evolution, eds. S. Jones. R. Martin and D. Pilbean, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. p. 52-55/
[10] Nunn, C.L., J. L. Gittleman and J. Antonovics (2000) “Promiscuity and the primate immune system,” Science November 10; 290: 1168-1170.
[11] Siow, A. (1998) “Differential fecundity, markets and gender roles,” Journal of Political Economy, 106 (2), April 1998, 334-354.

URI:

http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/1575

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