by LEE SIEGEL
Makushi cowboys in the South American nation of Guyana. A new study of the Makushi people by University of Utah anthropologist Ryan Schacht found that the truth is more complex than sexual stereotype that women want long-term, committed relationships and men want short-term flings. That was true in Makushi villages where women outnumbered men. But in villages where women were relatively scarce, both men and women were more likely to want long-term commitment. PHOTO/Ryan Schacht, University of Utah
The sexual stereotype, in line with evolutionary theory, is that women want commitment and men want lots of flings. But a study of the Makushi people in Guyana shows the truth is more complex, with men more likely to seek long-term relationships when women are in short supply.
“Commitment to a relationship is influenced by the availability of partners. So we can think of the number of men and women in a population as a potential mating market where the principles of supply and demand hold sway,” says University of Utah anthropologist Ryan Schacht, first author of the study published online Wednesday, Jan. 14 in the journal Royal Society Open Science.
“When you belong to the sex that is abundant, you must cater to the preferences of the rare sex,” says Schacht, a postdoctoral fellow. “So the expectations are that men will be interested in short-term relationships when more women are available. But when women are difficult to find, they become valued resources, so men will attempt to attract and maintain a single partner because it is costly to lose a partner when partners are rare.”
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