A theory of gender differences in parental altruism

We offer a theory of gender differences in parental altruism based on the asymmetry that female fertility is constrained but male fertility is relatively unconstrained. Modelling human preferences as having been shaped during the Pleistocene, we derive evolutionarily stable, co-evolved male and fema...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Canadian journal of economics 2004-11, Vol.37 (4), p.918-950
Main Authors: Eswaran, Mukesh, Kotwal, Ashok
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Altruism
Biological altruism
Children
Ecological competition
Evolution
Evolutionary economics
Female animals
Female fertility
Gender
Humans
Mathematical independent variables
Mating behavior
Natural selection
Parents
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We offer a theory of gender differences in parental altruism based on the asymmetry that female fertility is constrained but male fertility is relatively unconstrained. Modelling human preferences as having been shaped during the Pleistocene, we derive evolutionarily stable, co-evolved male and female preferences for altruism towards one's children. We demonstrate that there would be gender differences in parental altruism that depend on the relative abundance or scarcity of resources and the importance and substitutability of parental inputs in promoting the survival of offspring. The results point to greater altruism in females, under plausible conditions.
ISSN:0008-4085
1540-5982
DOI:10.1111/j.0008-4085.2004.00254.x