R-SELECTED REPRODUCTIVE STRATEGIES AMONG HUNGARIAN GYPSIES - A PRELIMINARY-ANALYSIS

The Gipsies, a particular ethnic and social group living mostly in the Eastern European countries, have been studied in terms of r- and K-se lection. Considering the variables of fertility, birth spacing, mortal ity, age distribution, and physical parameters, they proved to be more r-selected than the Hungarians. The main factors bringing about these differences on the scale of r- and K-strategy come from both genetic and cultural biases. Resource unpredictability and social uncertainty, important components of the Gipsies' way of life, contribute to their higher fertility and mortality. Other characteristics, such as a fema le surplus in the birth sex ratio and the good survival capacity of th e ''premature'' Gipsy infants, seem to show genetic influences as ''ra cial'' traits. Finally, a particular family arrangement characteristic of Gipsies, the father-absent household, is likely to have influence on their early sexual activity, even promiscuity, and unstable pair bo nds. These analyses, that should be completed with further detailed in vestigations of social factors, may contribute to the understanding an d improvement of the Gipsies' living conditions, after their ignorance in the Communist regime.