Human Mating Patterns

by C. G. N. Mascie-Taylor, Anthony J. Boyce

Overview

First published in 1988, this book examines the causes and consequences of different mating patterns in man with particular reference to biological, medical and demographic factors. Although the effects of inbreeding on genetic structure and gene frequencies have been well covered in the medical genetics literature, and specific social systems have been described in social anthropology texts, this attempts to present an holistic approach. Four main areas are covered: historical and demographic aspects; mate choice and assortative mating; social systems, religious rules and mating practices; medical and genetic issues. The papers in each section have been carefully edited and integrated to present a cohesive treatment of value to advanced students and research workers in human biology and genetics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521114684
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	06/25/2009
Series:	Society for the Study of Human Biology Symposium Series , #28
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

Table of Contents

Preface; Part I. Historical and Demographic Studies: 1. Mating Patterns: an historical perspective A. D. J. Macfarlane; 2. Mating distance and historical population structure: a review A. C. Swedlund; 3. Marriage distance and ethnicity C. Peach and J. Clyde Mitchell; 4. Mating patterns in isolates L. Jakobi and P. Darlu; Part II. Mate Choice and Assortative mating: 5. Assortative mating for psychometric characters C. G. N. Mascie-Taylor; 6. Assortative mating for anthropometric characters C. Susanne and Y. Lepage; 7. Application of surname frequency distributions to studies of mating preferences G. W. Lasker; Part III. Medical and Biological Aspects of Inbreeding: 8. Genetic relatedness and the evolution of animal mating patterns A. F. Read and P. H. Harvey; 9. Regulation of mating choice in nonhuman primates D. Quiatt; 10. Inbreeding in human populations: an assessment of the costs A. H. Bittles and E. Makov; 11. Mating patterns and genetic disease P. Harper and D. F. Roberts; Part IV. Social, Religious and Cultural Factors: 12. The effect of preference rules on marriage patterns B. Dyke and P. G. Rivière; 13. Religious rules, mating patterns and fertility V. Reynolds; 14. The relevance of the polygyny threshold model to humans M. Borgerhoff Mulder; Index.

Editorial Reviews

Papers from a meeting on [title] held at Oxford University, April 1986. The contributions (edited and integrated) examine the causes and consequences of different mating patterns in man, with particular reference to biological, medical, deomographic, and cultural and religous aspects. The effects of inbreeding have been well documented, but these studies represent an attempt to present an holistic approach. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews