Women in Human Evolution

Women in Human Evolution PDF Author: Lori D. Hager
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 9780415108331
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 242

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Book Description
Of interest to all who work in the fields of anthropology, paleontology, anthropology and human biology, this book is the first to examine the role of women in the study of human evolution.

Women in Human Evolution

Women in Human Evolution PDF Author: Lori D. Hager
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 9780415108331
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 242

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Book Description
Of interest to all who work in the fields of anthropology, paleontology, anthropology and human biology, this book is the first to examine the role of women in the study of human evolution.

The Woman that Never Evolved

The Woman that Never Evolved PDF Author: Sarah Blaffer Hrdy
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780674955400
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 274

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Book Description
The author dispels some of the myths about the nature of females and female sexuality, and suggests new hypotheses aboutthe evolution of women.

Sex, Time, and Power

Sex, Time, and Power PDF Author: Leonard Shlain
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101200391
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 465

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Book Description
As in the bestselling The Alphabet Versus the Goddess, Leonard Shlain’s provocative new book promises to change the way readers view themselves and where they came from. Sex, Time, and Power offers a tantalizing answer to an age-old question: Why did big-brained Homo sapiens suddenly emerge some 150,000 years ago? The key, according to Shlain, is female sexuality. Drawing on an awesome breadth of research, he shows how, long ago, the narrowness of the newly bipedal human female’s pelvis and the increasing size of infants’ heads precipitated a crisis for the species. Natural selection allowed for the adaptation of the human female to this environmental stress by reconfiguring her hormonal cycles, entraining them with the periodicity of the moon. The results, however, did much more than ensure our existence; they imbued women with the concept of time, and gave them control over sex—a power that males sought to reclaim. And the possibility of achieving immortality through heirs drove men to construct patriarchal cultures that went on to dominate so much of human history. From the nature of courtship to the evolution of language, Shlain’s brilliant and wide-ranging exploration stimulates new thinking about very old matters.

Woman the Gatherer

Woman the Gatherer PDF Author: Frances Dahlberg
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 9780300029895
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Book Description
Essays discuss chimpanzees as an evolutionary model, modern examples of hunter-gatherer tribes, women's and men's roles in prehistoric times, and primitive human adaptations

Male, Female

Male, Female PDF Author: David C. Geary
Publisher: Amer Psychological Assn
ISBN: 9781557985279
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 397

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Book Description
Geary (psychology and anthropology, U. of Missouri-Columbia) thinks culturally constructed gender roles alone cannot account for the differences in the social behavior of men and women. He turns to Darwin's theory of sexual selection as the best avenue for understanding. His main focus is how th etwo elements of competition between males and of females selecting mates has influenced human behavior over the centuries and across cultures.

Women After All: Sex, Evolution, and the End of Male Supremacy

Women After All: Sex, Evolution, and the End of Male Supremacy PDF Author: Melvin Konner
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 039324654X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 293

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Book Description
“A sparkling, thought-provoking account of sexual differences. Whether you’re a man or a woman, you’ll find his conclusions gripping.”—Jared Diamond There is a human genetic fluke that is surprisingly common, due to a change in a key pair of chromosomes. In the normal condition the two look the same, but in this disorder one is malformed and shrunken beyond recognition. The result is a shortened life span, higher mortality at all ages, an inability to reproduce, premature hair loss, and brain defects variously resulting in attention deficit, hyperactivity, conduct disorder, hypersexuality, and an enormous excess of both outward and self-directed aggression. It is called maleness. Melvin Konner traces the arc of evolution to explain the relationships between women and men. With patience and wit he explores the knotty question of whether men are necessary in the biological destiny of the human race. He draws on multiple, colorful examples from the natural world—such as the mating habits of the octopus, black widow, angler fish, and jacana—and argues that maleness in humans is hardly necessary to the survival of the species. In characteristically humorous and engaging prose, Konner sheds light on our biologically different identities, while noting the poignant exceptions that challenge the male/female divide. We meet hunter-gatherers such as those in Botswana, whose culture gave women a prominent place, invented the working mother, and respected women’s voices around the fire. Recent human history has upset this balance, as a dense world of war fostered extreme male dominance. But our species has been recovering over the past two centuries, and an unstoppable move toward equality is afoot. It will not be the end of men, but it will be the end of male supremacy and a better, wiser world for women and men alike.

The Evolution of Human Sexuality

The Evolution of Human Sexuality PDF Author: Donald Symons
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199878471
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 368

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Book Description
Anthropology, Sexual Studies, Psychology, Sociology, Gender and Cultural Studies

Biology at Work

Biology at Work PDF Author: Kingsley R. Browne
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
ISBN: 0813542472
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
Does biology help explain why women, on average, earn less money than men? Is there any evolutionary basis for the scarcity of female CEOs in Fortune 500 companies? According to Kingsley Browne, the answer may be yes. Biology at Work brings an evolutionary perspective to bear on issues of women in the workplace: the "glass ceiling," the "gender gap" in pay, sexual harassment, and occupational segregation. While acknowledging the role of discrimination and sexist socialization, Browne suggests that until we factor real biological differences between men and women into the equation, the explanation remains incomplete. Browne looks at behavioral differences between men and women as products of different evolutionary pressures facing them throughout human history. Womens biological investment in their offspring has led them to be on average more nurturing and risk averse, and to value relationships over competition. Men have been biologically rewarded, over human history, for displays of strength and skill, risk taking, and status acquisition. These behavioral differences have numerous workplace consequences. Not surprisingly, sex differences in the drive for status lead to sex differences in the achievement of status. Browne argues that decision makers should recognize that policies based on the assumption of a single androgynous human nature are unlikely to be successful. Simply removing barriers to inequality will not achieve equality, as women and men typically value different things in the workplace and will make different workplace choices based on their different preferences. Rather than simply putting forward the "nature" side of the debate, Browne suggests that dichotomies such as nature/nurture have impeded our understanding of the origins of human behavior. Through evolutionary biology we can understand not only how natural selection has created predispositions toward certain types of behavior but also how the social environment interacts with these predispositions to produce observed behavioral patterns.

Evaluating Evidence in Biological Anthropology

Evaluating Evidence in Biological Anthropology PDF Author: Catherine M. Willermet
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108476848
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 231

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Book Description
A critical assessment of how evidence in biological anthropology is discovered, collected and interpreted.

Ancient Bodies, Modern Lives

Ancient Bodies, Modern Lives PDF Author: Wenda Trevathan
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0195388887
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 269

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Book Description
In Ancient Bodies, Modern Lives, anthropologist Wenda Trevathan explores a range of women's health issues, with a specific focus on reproduction, that may be viewed through an evolutionary lens. Trevathan illustrates the power and potential of examining the human life cycle from an evolutionary perspective, and how such an approach could help improve both our understanding of women's health and our ability to respond to health challenges in creative and effective ways.