Female Infidelity and Paternal Uncertainty

Evolutionary Perspectives on Male Anti-Cuckoldry Tactics

Todd K Shackelford editor Steven M Platek editor

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Cambridge University Press

Published:3rd Aug '06

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Female Infidelity and Paternal Uncertainty cover

How males deal with the consequences of raising a child they unknowingly did not sire.

Because paternal certainty is asymmetrical, males have evolved a number of anti-cuckoldry strategies to deal with the possibility of raising an offspring they unknowingly did not sire. Female Infidelity and Paternal Uncertainty: Evolutionary Perspectives on Male Anti-cuckoldry Tactics addresses these perspectives.Although commonly believed that males are more promiscuous than females, new research has revealed that female infidelity is a common occurrence throughout the animal kingdom. Female Infidelity and Paternal Uncertainty is the first book to address how males deal with the consequences of female infidelity and the strategies they have evolved to try to avoid the possibility of raising an offspring they unknowingly did not sire. Each chapter deals with a specific evolved strategy developed to aid males in either limiting opportunities for their mate to be unfaithful or to 'correct' the by-products of infidelity should it occur. With sections including mate guarding, intra-vaginal tactics and paternity assessment, this book will appeal to researchers and graduate students in behavioral biology, evolutionary psychology, human sexuality, anthropology, sociology, reproductive health and medicine.

"Pulling together this variety of methods into one volume is a reason enough for researchers in this area to own the book." American Journal of Human Biology
"...a virtual treasure trove of fun things to know and tell about the sneaky ways in which male biology goes to war against its intrasexual competition.... In summary, Female Infidelity and Parental Uncertainty is a nice addition to the field and indispensable for anyone doing research on human sexual relationships. It will also prove accessible and interesting to the more casual reader who simply wants to know more about how natural selection has shaped everything from the biochemistry of semen to the behavior patterns of jealous males to help males avoid the gnawing insecurity and evolutionary damage that accompanies life as a cuckold. Francis T. McAndrew, The Journal of Mind and Behavior

ISBN: 9780521607346

Dimensions: 247mm x 175mm x 13mm

Weight: 524g

258 pages