Sexual Selection Revisited — Towards a Gender-Neutral Theory and Practice: A Response to Vandermassen's `Sexual Selection: A Tale of Male Bias and Feminist Denial'

In a recent issue of this journal, Vandermassen suggested that feminists should include sexual selection theory and evolutionary psychology in a unifying theory of human nature. In response, this article aims to offer some insight into the development of sexual selection theory, to caution against V...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The European journal of women's studies 2007-11, Vol.14 (4), p.341-348
Main Author: Ah-King, Malin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Androcentric bias
Assimilation
Bias
Biology
Consciousness
Evolutionary biology
Evolutionary psychology
Feminism
Gender
Gender roles
Gender studies
Genus
History of science
Human nature
INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH AREAS
Natural sciences
Science history
Sex roles
Sexism
Sexual behavior
Sexual development
Sexual selection
Traditional societies
TVÄRVETENSKAPLIGA FORSKNINGSOMRÅDEN
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Summary:In a recent issue of this journal, Vandermassen suggested that feminists should include sexual selection theory and evolutionary psychology in a unifying theory of human nature. In response, this article aims to offer some insight into the development of sexual selection theory, to caution against Vandermassen's unreserved assimilation and to promote the opposite ongoing integration — an inclusion of gender perspectives into evolutionary biology. In society today, opinions about maintaining traditional sex roles are often put forward on the basis of what is natural and how animals behave. However, the natural sciences have proved to be pervaded by gendered values and interests; Darwin's theory of sexual selection has been criticized for being male biased, and partly due to the unwillingness of Darwin's scientific contemporaries to accept female choice, research has been overwhelmingly focused on males. More recently, theory has become less gender biased and research has come to include a large variety of issues not present in the first version of the theory. However, there is a need to increase the awareness of gender bias in order to develop a gender-neutral evolutionary biology.
ISSN:1350-5068
1461-7420
1461-7420
DOI:10.1177/1350506807081883