Female Hierarchies by Lionel Tiger

Author:Lionel Tiger [Tiger, Lionel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, Anthropology, General, Sociology
ISBN: 9781351519991
Google: rK00DwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2017-09-08T03:28:14+00:00

SUMMARY

1. The determination of the existence of two sexes in mammals is genetically simple: it involves the X-Y chromosome mechanism determining the primary sex organs and the production of sex hormones, and the tfm gene controlling the competence of cells to react to the sex hormones. Complications arise because the sex hormones themselves are the result of chains of synthetic biochemical reactions that are under genic control, and because many genes—sex-controlled and sex-limited genes— act differently in male and female organisms. The existence of sex-controlled genes forms the basis of many sexual dimorphisms, the fact that in many biochemical, physiological, and morphological characters, the two sexes differ phenotypically, even though they are genotypically identical.

2. In social organisms, the two sexes differ in their social functions. They are either in a dominance relationship toward each other, or they form independent parts of society. Within one sex, there is usually a clear-cut dominance hierarchy in which each individual has his status; the function of the organism in society may depend on its sex and its status within the hierarchy of its sex. In human beings, in addition to genetic sex, there exist gender roles specifying the behavior of males and females expected in society. The existence of gender roles distinguishes human society profoundly from that of nonhuman primates, but the gender roles probably evolved from the sexual dimorphism affecting behavioral characters present in prehuman ancestors.

3. Sexual dimorphisms are subject to selection, showing that there is a genetic basis for the existence of sexual dimorphism. Furthermore, once polymorphism for a sex-controlled character exists, it may become established by sexual selection, resulting in an additional sexually dimorphic character. While male hierarchy in many species affects the transmission of genes, there is little evidence that female hierarchies have a comparable effect, except for a case observed in the wolf. Its primary function in primates concerns rather the organization of the society, and the transmission of the social rank order to the next generation. Female hierarchy in primates is thus important for the smooth organization of primate societies. While some speculations on the social organization of prehuman hominids can be made, it is difficult to decide whether a female hierarchy existed and what role it may have played in human evolution.

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