Intersexual Relationships Research Articles

Social relations in semi-free-ranging sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi coquereli) and the question of female dominance.

Female social dominance over males is thought to characterize most of the prosimian primates of Madagascar. It has been reported in Propithecus verreauxi coquereli in the wild but intersexual relations were not fully characterized. In this paper we examine female-male spatial and agonistic relations in semi-free-ranging P. v. coquereli in order to evaluate intersexual social dominance and related behavioral asymmetries. Two hundred hours of focal sampling were conducted on two pairs of P. v. coquereli at the Duke University Primate Center, Durham, NC. Behavioral categories including approach, departure, follow, pass, replace, and aggression were scored and recorded. Our results show strong asymmetry of aggressive encounters, suggesting female dominance over males. No submissive signals were observed. The analysis of spatial relations showed that males were more active than females in maintaining proximity and, on average, male spatial movements could be predicted by female location and activities more often than vice versa. These results indicate a spatially central role for the female of each pair. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Intersexual relationships amongst prosimians

Social relationships between the sexes are an important parameter of group structure and the disperison of breeding individuals within the habitat. An attempt is made to present a speculative hypothesis on the origins of female dominance over males in some prosimian species. This hypothesis links metabolic flexibility with the energetic costs of reproduction in males as well as females. A greater investment in measurements of energy expenditure in the field may return valuable information on prosimian breeding systems, methods of dispersion and population biology.

A historical reconsideration of female dominance among the Chambrl of Papua New Guinea

My focus is the sociohistorical referents of a transformation that occurred in intersexual relations between the time the late Margaret Mead studied the Chambri (Tchambuli) in 1933 and my own field research there. The Tchambuli people of Papua New Guinea are famous in the literature of women's studies because Mead describes them as having significant and dominant roles within their villages. During my fieldwork with the Chambri, I decided to eschew the ontological concept of role and adopt a more systemic approach. Instead of labeling Chambri women as dominant, or submissive, I seek an underlying pattern of relationships that persists through time in a range of social situations.

Women and men in the Enga tee

This paper explores the power and influence of women in the tee exchange of the Tombema Enga of the Western Highlands of Papua New Guinea. Intersexual relations in the Highlands have generally been described as frought with anxiety and conflict. Similarly, women's position has been defined as low and inferior to that of men. This paper takes the view that rather than trying to sum up the position of women, it is more sensible to describe male‐female relations in a variety of separate social domains, free from the more ideological statements that men make of women in situational vacuums. By so doing we may find that women exercise considerable power. As male‐female relations are viewed in the context of the tee exchange, a picture emerges in which women are essential participants, making key political decisions, allotting pigs, and in all ways, shaping the exchange partnerships and relations of men whom they link. These conclusions raise questions as to the nature of the tee and what it does in Enga society.

Sexual Selection in the Three‐Spined Stickleback

The purpose of this study was to seek evidence for the influence of sexual selection on both male and female three-spined sticklebacks, a species in which the ♂ alone has parental responsibilities. We studied the intrasexual relationships of ♂♂ and ♀♀ prior to courtship, and the intrasexual and intersexual relationships of both sexes during courtship. Results demonstrated that both ♂♂ and ♀♀ compete intrasexually, and suggested that both sexes are discriminative in mate selection. These results are compatible with Trivers' (1972) model of the role of parental investment in sexual selection.

Intersexual Relationships in the Modern World

Intersexual Relationships in the Modern World