Different reproductive strategies in males and females

Abstract

The claim for a connection between stressful, unstable childhood environments and early pubertal maturation has only modest empirical support. However, granting the claim for purposes of discussion, and taking an evolutionary perspective, it is argued here that early puberty need not imply a shift from a "quality" toward a "quantity" reproductive strategy. Indeed, for females to make such a shift when they cannot count on secure pair bonding or paternal investment from a male would not serve their inclusive fitness interests; indeed, probably the reverse. Delayed puberty among juveniles with secure, long-continued bonds with the parental generation may serve a different evolutionary function: to minimize inbreeding. Nonevolutionary factors are more than adequate to account for precocious sexuality in individuals with stressful childhood histories.