“Biological fact is that males and females have reproductive organs that are different. This means that men and women have different roles entirely in reproduction. This has guided males and females down different evolutionary paths in terms of reproductive strategy.
“Males are biologically required only for sperm production and they evolved to be indiscriminate breeders. When mating, males evolved to be opportunistic rather than picky. Men breed across and down the social hierarchy. The technical term for ‘across and down’ is ‘hypogamy’. This is another way of saying, ‘anything that moves.'”
This got a chuckle from the table.
“Men do have a reputation for that, don’t they?” asked Churan.
Her statement was met with many nods.
“Men are pigs!” declared Dorotea.
Greg watched as most of the women at the table rolled their eyes at Dorotea’s comment.
“Females, on the other hand, are biologically required for egg production, gestation, and nourishment of newborns. They pay a very heavy price when child bearing and child rearing.”
This pronouncement was immediately accepted by the women. They knew that part of what Greg was saying was true.
“Females have to cope with the consequences of breeding, so they are highly-discriminating breeders. Consequently, women pick and choose who they mate with very carefully. What they are looking for in a mate is someone who can ease the burden of raising children.
“Women evolved to almost always mate above or across the social hierarchy. They are loathe to mate with someone less desirable than themselves. They are not opportunistic breeders, they are strategic breeders. There is a biological term for this, which is ‘hypergamy’
“So how does male hypogamy and female hypergamy play out?” Greg asked rhetorically. “Here’s a hypothetical: Abe is a rag picker. He has a very beautiful daughter named Barb. Barb ends up marrying Craig, the average looking son of a rich merchant, rather than Danny, the buff son of a fellow rag picker. Craig chooses Barb as partner rather than Ellie, the ugly daughter of another wealthy merchant. That’s how hypogamy and hypergamy tend to manifest.”
“I don’t get it,” said Dorotea.
“In our hypothetical scenario: Barb prefers an average-looking Craig on a social level above Daniel, a more attractive mating partner on the same social level,” said Greg. “Social status was more important than say, looks. Barb prefers a mate from higher up in the hierarchy. That’s hypergamy. You follow?”
Dorothea nodded.
Greg continued. “To Craig, beautiful Barb is a more attractive mating partner on a lower social level to ugly Ellie, who is on the same social level. To Craig, looks were more important than social status. That’s hypogamy.”
“But it isn’t that simple, women aren’t always motivated by money!” said Dorotea.
“The word I used was status, not money, but I agree with your premise, Dorotea. Men aren’t always motivated only by beauty either– my example was deliberately simplistic to illustrate the principle.” agreed Greg. “Women are motivated by a number of factors. They don’t just look for wealth. They look for physical beauty, social standing, intelligence, wealth, and masculine traits, such as ambition and strength. All of these combine into a composite measure, which we call ‘status’. The status of various men establishes a hierarchy. Women choose the best available status to them.”