A CRITIQUE OF THE DARWIN-BATEMAN-TRIVERS PARADIGM AND AN EXPLORATION OF ITS SOCIETAL IMPACT ON PERCEPTIONS OF GENDER

Marlo Leikam

Date of Award

2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Natural Sciences

First Advisor

Gilchrist, Sandra

Area of Concentration

Natural Sciences

Abstract

Theories about sexual selection and subsequent narratives of biological fertilization have, intentionally or not, created and perpetuation harmful beliefs regarding sex and gender. This paper tracks the origins of Charles Darwin’s theory of sexual selection, as well as subsequent theories proposed by Angus Bateman and Robert Trivers, by examining perceptions of gender from Greco-Roman antiquity and Victorian English society. The fallibility of these theories will also be examined, as well as the inherent gender bias present in their development. Foundational theories of evolutionary biology have also impacted other disciplines, such as embryology, therefore, narratives of biological fertilization, from Greco-Roman antiquity to now, will be presented and examined. These narratives often employ the use of gendered personification of cells, analogies, and other forms of simplification to make the complex process of biological fertilization more accessible to audiences. However, this is done at the cost of maintaining problematic Western stereotypical views of men and women, especially within the context of sexual interactions. Therefore, this paper will attempt to outline the problematic language within modern day biological fertilization narratives and to provide alternative improvements to the explanation of complex processes.

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS