The political psychology of reproductive strategies

We argue that several reproductive strategies that parental investment theo ry suggests are adaptive for men and for women are in fact most adaptive fo r individuals able and willing to use power in dominance relationships. We tested whether people's support for social dominance mediates their willing ness to use these reproductive strategies. We hypothesized that the strateg ies of multiple simultaneous mating, resistance to caring for children ns o ne's own, and sexual jealousy will be appealing especially to men who appro ve of social dominance, and that finding a high-status, high-earning mate w ill appeal especially to women who approve of social dominance. Support for the hypotheses using multiple samples and multiple measures was found, and theoretical issues are discussed.