Premium
The Myth of Male Superiority: Rise and Demise
Author(s) -
Parker Seymour,
Parker Hilda
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
american anthropologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.51
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1548-1433
pISSN - 0002-7294
DOI - 10.1525/aa.1979.81.2.02a00030
Subject(s) - demise , nature versus nurture , mythology , institutionalisation , ethology , social evolution , positive economics , sociology , epistemology , psychology , biology , history , evolutionary biology , anthropology , political science , law , economics , philosophy , psychiatry , classics
A prolific literature exists concerning the origins and functions of the institutionalization of sex‐role differences. However, persistent problems and sharply divergent views remain. This study attempts to circumvent the nature/nurture controversy by utilizing a holistic‐evolutionary approach to the problem. The reviews of evidence from ethology, developmental psychology, and cross‐cultural investigations lead to a social‐exchange model involving differences in the elasticities of male and female labor contributions in social evolution. Assumptions about future technological progress lead to prediction of the demise of the myth of male supremacy. [sex differences in social evolution, ontogeny of human behavior]