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Journal Article
Tibetan Fraternal Polyandry: A Test of Sociobiological Theory
Cynthia M. Beall and Melvyn C. Goldstein
American Anthropologist
New Series, Vol. 83, No. 1 (Mar., 1981), pp. 5-12
Published
by: Wiley on behalf of the American Anthropological Association
https://www.jstor.org/stable/675580
Page Count: 8
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Topics: Polyandry, Brothers, Alleles, Sociobiology, Monogamy, Social evolution, Single status, Human ecology, Mating behavior
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Abstract
This paper tests sociobiological hypotheses regarding the way practitioners of fraternal polyandry in a Tibetan population in Nepal may enhance their inclusive fitness. Demographic data demonstrate higher mortality and lower survivorship of offspring in fraternal polyandry than monogamy. Moreover, the probability of allele transmission for an ego is lower in fraternal polyandrous unions than in monogamous unions. On the basis of the measured parameters, Tibetan fraternal polyandry does not appear to enhance the fitness of individuals who practice it and, in fact, seems to entail substantial reproductive sacrifice.
American Anthropologist © 1981 American Anthropological Association
