Fathers favour sons, mothers don't discriminate: Sex-biased parental care in northwestern Tanzania.

ABSTRACT: Variation in parental care by child's sex is evident across cultures. Evolutionary theory provides a functional explanation for this phenomenon, predicting that parents will favour specific children if this results in greater fitness payoffs. Here, we explore evidence for sex-biased parental care in a high-fertility, patriarchal and polygynous population in Tanzania, predicting that both mothers and fathers will favour sons in this cultural setting. Our data come from a cross-sectional study in rural northwestern Tanzania, which included surveys with mothers/guardians of 808 children under age 5. We focus on early childhood, a period with high mortality risk which is fundamental in establishing later-life physical and cognitive development. Examining multiple measures of direct/physical ca

SUBMITTER: Hassan A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10427269 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature