Mace, Ruth and Sear, Rebecca (1997) Birth interval and the sex of children in a traditional African population : an evolutionary analysis. Journal of Biosocial Science, 29 (4). pp. 499-507. ISSN 0021-9320
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Abstract
Birth interval is a major determinant of rates of fertility, and is also a measure of parental investment in a child. In this paper the length of the birth interval in a traditional African population is analysed by sex of children. Birth intervals after the birth of a boy were significantly longer than after the birth of a girl, indicating higher parental investment in boys. However, in women of high parity, this differential disappeared. Birth intervals for women with no son were shorter than for those with at least one son. All these results are compatible with an evolutionary analysis of reproductive decision-making. First born sons have particularly high reproductive success, daughters have average reproductive success and late born sons have low reproductive success. The birth interval follows a similar trend, suggesting that longer birth intervals represent higher maternal investment in children of high reproductive potential.
| Item Type: | Article |
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| Official URL: | http://uk.cambridge.org/journals/journal_catalogue... |
| Additional Information: | Published 1997 © Cambridge University Press. LSE has developed LSE Research Online so that users may access research output of the School. Copyright and Moral Rights for the papers on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. Users may download and/or print one copy of any article(s) in LSE Research Online to facilitate their private study or for non-commercial research. You may not engage in further distribution of the material or use it for any profit-making activities or any commercial gain. You may freely distribute the URL (<http://eprints.lse.ac.uk>) of the LSE Research Online website. |
| Divisions: | LSE |
| Subjects: | H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform Q Science > QH Natural history > QH301 Biology G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GN Anthropology |
| Date Deposited: | 21 Mar 2006 |
| Last Modified: | 31 Mar 2024 00:04 |
| URI: | http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/687 |
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