3 ms·

> Another such example is polygamy, which mostly results in polygyny because of biological preferences. I have about 10yr of exposure to friend groups with non

> Another such example is polygamy, which mostly results in polygyny because of biological preferences. I have about 10yr of exposure to friend groups with nonmonogamous lifestyles, and it’s by a long shot the women who are having multiple regular partners and the men who have an occasional fling. And I find just as many women as men choose to adopt that kind of lifestyle. Obviously there are exceptions, but this has been an extremely stable general trend I’ve observed. This is of course caveated by having a small sample size. That said I think the trope that women only want one sexual partner while men want many is—in my experience—nothing more than that: an outdated, overused trope. I’d love to see some actual numbers. But what numbers I have seen seem to be easily skewed by the reality that it’s more socially acceptable for men to have more partners (though that stigma is quickly changing).

cubefox 3y ago
Polygyny is much, much more common than polyandry. > Of the 1,231 societies listed in the 1980 Ethnographic Atlas, 186 were found to be monogamous; 453 had occasional polygyny; 588 had more frequent polygyny; and 4 had polyandry. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygyny#Findings https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygyny#Findings
- guil177 3y ago
  I'm not sure historical societies has so much relevance here. I think the real difference with the past is contraceptive.
- stouset 3y ago
  Of course it has been that way historically, because men have been disproportionately favored by the power structures in those societies. Not to mention the lack of available and effective contraceptives before recent times. Remove that power imbalance, as we’re getting closer to today, and you see a lot more women choosing multiple partners.
  - cubefox 3y ago
    If it is the same in so many cultures, it seems quite likely the difference is not cultural, but biological.

cubefox 3y ago

Polygyny is much, much more common than polyandry. > Of the 1,231 societies listed in the 1980 Ethnographic Atlas, 186 were found to be monogamous; 453 had occasional polygyny; 588 had more frequent polygyny; and 4 had polyandry. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygyny#Findings https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygyny#Findings

guil177 3y ago
I'm not sure historical societies has so much relevance here. I think the real difference with the past is contraceptive.
stouset 3y ago
Of course it has been that way historically, because men have been disproportionately favored by the power structures in those societies. Not to mention the lack of available and effective contraceptives before recent times. Remove that power imbalance, as we’re getting closer to today, and you see a lot more women choosing multiple partners.
- cubefox 3y ago
  If it is the same in so many cultures, it seems quite likely the difference is not cultural, but biological.