| Male needs Polygyny, Man finds Monogamy I |
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Male needs Polygyny, Man finds Monogamy I (Problem Part)Human race was evolved biologically and then it raised itself culturally. Doctrines, morals, ethics, laws etc. are all part of this culture which the human race has developed. But different localities developed their cultures differently. They have variations. The manner of procreation is one such area where this diversity is more noticeable. In defining and reshaping the better and appropriate mode of natural and non artificial mode of procreation we have to delve into the psyche of human beings as a species rather than as a political entity. Politically there is no difference between a man and a woman. They both have rights to cast equal votes and attain same or similar political objectives. But some people, after starting it from this political equality have stretched this concept of equality too far. They want to undo all the difference between man and woman only on the basis of political assumptions even if those differences are far beyond the political domain. For example, despite being of different physical structure and mental psyche woman was forced to pursue a political slogan and was asked to do the same things as a man used to do by his very nature. This has stretched the stamina of woman. Now woman has started feeling tired with these hollow unsceintific but political slogans. There are so many areas of such forced compulsions. It is not possible to deal with all of them here in this small article. For the purpose only one such area is chosen and that is – procreation. There are so many aspects of procreation also. Culturally in Hindu mythology before creating this world Lord Brahma created five mental creations i.e. Sanak, Sanandan, Sanat, Sanatan and Ribhu Kumar. These were the determination, the joy, the authenticity, the continuity and the effort. In fact these were the five broad principles on which this world was later created by him. Out of these five basic principles the second is the joy and fourth is the continuity. If Sanatan (i.e. the procreation) is not coupled with Sanandan (i.e. the joy) then this would have been a mistake of the Nature and the population of this world would have not increased so smoothly. Similar parables are there in Christian mythology where the Adam and Eve were blessed with the joy (apple) and temptation for the continuity (the Satan). They had temptation to have joy and procreate. All cultures had attached joy with procreation in one or the other forms. Some anthropologists contend that this was merely a manifestation of a physically existing fact in nature. But this epistemological discussion is not the objective here. The objective is to implore the Biological truth behind these cultural metaphors. This article seeks to delve into an area of human existence where this Political Entity “Man” is a Biological Being “Male”; where the Political Entity “Woman” is a Biological Being “Female”; and where this Cultural Process of “Procreation” is called Evolutionary Compulsion “Mating”.
Biologically humans are mammals. And the mammals have some specific evolutionary characteristics. Their gestation period is long as compared to other species. This long gestation period gives the father i.e. the male a long time gap between the impregnation of its female and the birth of the new offspring. In this period the female is now occupied with the pregnancy and would be available for further mating only after the birth of the offspring and a minimum period of its infancy. After the birth of the offspring the female is then left with the task of raising the infant on her own. But there is no such limitation for the male. After impregnating one female he is owed with no particular responsibility and is available for further females. The contribution of males in the birth and upbringing of offspring is comparatively small. His maximum contribution is constricted to the production and contribution of sperms. These sperms are used to impregnate females. Therefore it is not beneficial for a male to remain with his mate (the earlier female which he had already impregnated) when he could have been available to impregnate more females during that period of time. Otherwise it would be a wastage of male’s resources. This is a fact which must be recognized and identified in order to appreciate the problem properly. The meeting of a male and a female for the continuity of their species is called mating. Different mating strategies have been developed by different species according to their ecological and other cultural constraints of a society. Humans around the world have adopted all of the mating strategies that were utilized by their mammalian ancestors depending on the environment of a society. The important strategies are Polygyny, Polyandry (both of them can be called commonly as Polygamy) Polygyny:
The oldest mating strategy is the Polygyny. Polygyny is the most dominant mating strategy in mammals. Polygyny is the default mating strategy among many mammals including the human species’ close primate relatives: the gorillas and the chimpanzees. This is a mating system in which a male fertilizes the eggs of several females in a breeding season. This strategy is in accordance with the Darwin’s theory of sexual selection, according to which a male competes for a female and a female selects out of the available males. This mating strategy of polygyny compels males to have better genes and greater resources. In this mating system males are able to produce the maximum number of offspring by mating with as many females as possible. Polygyny is also the dominant mating strategy in human societies. Polyandry:
Polyandrous societies are rare in mammals because of the minimal production of offspring. Polyandry is defined as a mating system in which a female has several partners in a breeding season. There are no real reproductive benefits to this particular mating strategy especially for the males. There is no guarantee that by copulating with a female that he will be the father of her offspring. In certain cases, the male will mate with a female and leave to mate with another. In other cases of polyandry, the female will retain all of her suitors to assist her in raising her offspring even without certain paternity. Polyandry is more popular in birds than mammals because the father is capable of taking care of the offspring. In birds, neither male nor female produce milk and the offspring eat solid food upon hatching. The percentage of polyandrous societies in humans is higher than the percentage of polyandrous individuals in the animal kingdom. The existence of polyandrous communities in humans usually arises from the need to consolidate resources. In the Himalayas, brothers will marry the same wife and all of their property will be inherited by the offspring. The property, which is a precious and rare resource, is not divided among offspring and it remains in the family. Prostitution is another form of polyandry even though reproduction is removed from the situation. A woman will mate with several men, to the knowledge of her other suitors. Many men are providing for her offspring (if any) and may protect her in when she is in trouble. In south India the tradition of Devdasi was prevalent for a long time. Monogamy:
Monogamy is a mating system in which one male will mate with one female in a breeding season. In this strategy, there are two parents raising the offspring and therefore the offspring have a better chance of surviving to reproductive age. The male also has a guaranteed mate and is certain of the offspring’s paternity. He is also able to protect his offspring from other males who may want to mate with his female and will often kill the infant to do so. Interestingly Monogamy is a conscious socio-cultural value; a value of human discretion. It should have not been studied here an article on biological evolutionary tactics. But there are some traces of Monogamy in the animal world also. Examples of monogamy among primates include the black hand gibbon of the Southeast Asian rainforest, the tufted ear marmoset of the Brazilian rainforest, and the Dusky tit in the South American rainforest. The gibbons often share parenting responsibilities equally while in the latter two species, the male takes care of the infants. Except gibbons, other two species have adopted it due to ecological compulsions. In case of gibbons, the scarcity of resources was found to have compelled them to have resort to this mode of mating. In this mating the male limits his number of offspring but guarantees that his offspring will grow successfully. The male does it so consciously against biological compulsions. In humans, males and females want different things from their mates and monogamy is the compromise between the two sexes. Females want a partner who is willing to share the parenting responsibilities. The male on the other hand wants a dedicated female who will be loyal to him and guarantee the paternity of her offspring but he also wants to have sex with as many females as possible. The female wants a male who is willing to dedicate all of his resources to her and her offspring. If it is so systematic they why daily there are news about sex scandals in name of politicians, sportsmen, common person or other celebrities. Is there some disparity in the “mating availability” and the “mating requirements”. Leaving it aside politically, is it Biologically justified to raise finger to Bill Clinton or Tiger Woods? Should this problem be not viewed from a platform different from the present political (including moral, legal and cultural etc.) platform?
Male needs Polygyny, Man finds Monogamy II (Solution Part) Reactions of the Visitors are respectfully solicited.
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