Human Mating Patterns

This book examines the causes and consequences of different mating patterns in man.

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

9780521114684, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 25 June 2009

256 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.4 cm, 0.38 kg

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.

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.

Subject Areas: Human biology [PSX]