"Dr. Helen Fisher pointed out, in The Anatomy of Love, that women's evolutionary need to have a partner to help her during the vulnerable first two years of a child's life predisposes women to value behaviour from men that indicates that they are cherished and being committed to. I call this "investment behaviour." This is different, as Dr. Fisher herself points out, from the old canard of evolutionary biologists who insist that fertile young women will respond sexually to older men with money and power.
Dr. Fisher's persuasive theory about women benefiting in evolutionary terms by responding sexually to men (or, presumably, women partner) who demonstrate that they can partner effectively for the baby's vulnerable years, and who show that they can keep mother and baby safe, led me to wonder — given that this was so valuable evolutionarily to women, their bodies, indeed their vaginas — if it might prompt them to "notice" or register such actions in potential mates before their minds had paid attention, in the same way that recent science has established a biological basis for the "gut response" to others."
Dr. Fisher's persuasive theory about women benefiting in evolutionary terms by responding sexually to men (or, presumably, women partner) who demonstrate that they can partner effectively for the baby's vulnerable years, and who show that they can keep mother and baby safe, led me to wonder — given that this was so valuable evolutionarily to women, their bodies, indeed their vaginas — if it might prompt them to "notice" or register such actions in potential mates before their minds had paid attention, in the same way that recent science has established a biological basis for the "gut response" to others."
Naomi Wolf, Vagina
No comments:
Post a Comment