Female macaques compete for ‘power’ and ‘commitment’ in their male partners

Publication date: Available online 18 November 2019Source: Evolution and Human BehaviorAuthor(s): Christine B. Haunhorst, Ines Fürtbauer, Oliver Schülke, Julia OstnerAbstractThe formation of male-female social bonds and the resulting competition among females for male partners is a core element of human societies. While female competition for a male partner outside the mating context is well studied in humans, evidence from non-human primates is scarce, and its evolutionary roots remain to be explored. We studied two multi male – multi female groups of wild Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis), a species where females gain benefits from selectively affiliating with particular males. Using a behavioral data set collected over several years, we tested whether females competed over access to male social partners, whether success in competition was driven by female dominance rank, and which male traits were most attractive for females. We found assortative bonding by dominance rank between females and males, which together with females initiating and maintaining contact suggests direct female competition over males. Two male traits independently predicted male attractiveness to females: (1) current dominance rank, a measure of “power” or a male's ability to provide access to resources, and (2) prior male affiliation with immatures, a measure of a male's potential paternal proclivity or “commitment” to infant care. Both traits have been consistently identified as driv...

Source: Evolution and Human Behavior - November 20, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research