The Grandmother's Hypothesis

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Anthropology of Aging Final Research Paper 11/5/12 The Grandmother’s Hypothesis The post-reproductive period of women has been suggested to be an adaptive phenomenon caused by the selection for women who are able to be beneficial in raising their own grandchildren. This has been formed into a hypothesis known as “The Grandmother Hypothesis,” originally proposed by G.C. Williams in 1957, who suggested the idea that menopause has become an evolutionary adaption for increasing one’s own inclusive fitness. Other hypotheses contrast this hypothesis and suggest that men’s changes in reproduction have played a significant role in the increased post-reproductive periods in women (Marlowe 1999). Numerous studies have examined demographics of childcare throughout different hunter-gatherer societies, examining longevity and assistance to kin provided by the mother’s mother, the mother, the father and the combinations of each. The most popular hypothesis for explaining the occurrence of menopause and increased longevity after reproduction has been the Grandmother Hypothesis. An interesting fact about menopause through an evolutionary lens is that Bonobo’s and gorillas, who share 99% of our DNA are reproductive throughout their life and do not experience menopause (Eric Johnson 2009). It is then suggested throughout various disciplines that somewhere along the course of human evolution, there was selection for menopause and increased longevity. The grandmother hypothesis suggests that a selection for menopause occurred within women in order for extra care to be given to their kin, which improves their own inclusive fitness (G.C. Williams 1957). The reason for an increased need for women to provide for their kin is thought to have occurred due to the nature of savannah habitats. “Since a mother has to feed simultaneously not only her current infant but also
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