Throughout Nature and certainly in the case of humanity, males have tended to be the dominant sex – not only are they bigger and stronger, but the nature of their reproductive act – their genetic contribution – is rapid-repeating, unlimited and non-committal.
It means that they can tender their genes as much as they like.
Females, on the other hand, have to make a much greater investment in and commitment to reproduction. Pregnancy puts them out of the reproductive game for a period of time. Physically and emotionally, their genetic product makes considerable demands of them. Postnatally, the onus is on them to nurture their child.
Females therefore have to be particularly sure that their choice of partner is the right one, the best one, the one that is genetically beneficial.
These distinct biological and sexual designs mean that each gender is able to fulfil a different role; males have tended to drive procreation whilst females can be considered more as our genetic gatekeepers. They make sure that males compete for the right to procreate with them and, with the best male triumphing, they hope to then acquire the most advantageous genetic partner. In essence, females act to balance male impulsiveness and rashness. They control male profligacy.
That’s the theory anyway. In practice, females have not always been able to prevent, control or limit male desire.
Nevertheless, given our on-going survival as a species, it’s an arrangement that has seemingly been very successful.
However, there has recently been a subtle shift in this procreational order.
Women are acquiring more independence and more influence. They are becoming less subservient, less acquiescent and less inhibited. Women are no longer docile reproductive machines. They are having a greater involvement in their choice of sexual partner, they are being more proactive in the initiation of sexual relations, they are having more control over when to reproduce and how often they want to reproduce.
The cause of this change, this newfound involvement, is – as with any chicken and egg dilemma – difficult to determine. It’s unclear whether societal changes have empowered women or whether genetic changes have emboldened women to drive change in society.
But certainly, change has occurred:
There have been changes in society such as women taking on male roles during war time labour shortages, equal education legislation, women getting the right to vote, the women’s liberation movement, the legalisation of abortion, the development of reliable contraception.
There have also been changes in women’s attitudes and behaviours such as with regard to the manner by which they pursue sexual relations, their willingness to assert their rights and equality and their greater readiness to take on more significant roles within society.
Given how these changes have and will continue to have an affect on the role of men, it’s unlikely that these new practices will have been at the instigation of men. Why would men choose to relinquish their dominance? Why would they change something that seems to be working quite well for them?
In response to this upheaval, men will have to dramatically change their own attitudes and behaviours if they are to attract desirable females – the one’s that are faring well in society, the one’s that command these new characteristics.
They will have to be more caring, more empathetic, more sharing, more engaging with children, more domesticated.
The genetic rules, the basis of reproductive attraction, will be transformed. Traditional roles and practices will be gone. It’s like a baby that has moved on to a new phase in its development. Walking for instance. Suddenly a baby can move quicker, reach higher and fall over. Parents have to respond accordingly.
This new operating system generates an inexorable spiral of change. Developments in society change what is considered to be genetically desirable which goes on to change our reproductive behaviour which subsequently leads to further changes in society.
In terms of the future, in genetics, once an evolutionary course is embarked upon there are two irrefutable certainties: firstly, there is no going back and secondly, the pursuit of that course is persistent and intense. It is pushed to its limit. It is pursued relentlessly until, that is, a more favourable option usurps its appeal.
This means that, in time, on this trajectory, females will, in all likelihood, come to dominate society. They will take over from males as the sexual and procreational dominant gender.
Arguably, there is perhaps a logic and reasonableness to this. After all, as we have observed, they make the greater genetic contribution and commitment. It’s only right that they should be more involved with securing their genetic stake.
The danger is that, in choosing an evolutionary course – any evolutionary course – there is always an element of risk. We are changing the genetic order of things. It is disruptive and destabilising. It shatters the existing state of affairs.
It is also a rogue behaviour – something that we are unilaterally choosing to do, an action of our own making rather than a directive from our genes. In so doing, we challenge Nature’s established order and rules.
Can we be sure that the outcomes will be good for us? Will it be beneficial for our development as a species? How will it affect our relationship with Nature?
As a species, our survival and strength has been steadfast over thousands of years. In making these changes, as we venture into an unknown, there is a risk that we jeopardise this position.
Of course, we just don’t know. Things might actually turn out for the better.
If females ruled the world would there be as much competition, aggression and conflict? Would they not bring a more calming influence to international relations? Or would they just develop a different sort of society with its own set of problems?
In Nature, there are only a few species (of mammals, in particular) that have dominant females. But they do exist. African lions, African elephants, spotted hyenas, bonobo chimpanzees and lemurs for example. Although it may only be early days, it seems that we are embarking on a similar evolutionary course.
As males used to dominate society, in the future, females will gradually come to be the dominant gender. They will determine the intricacies of our sexual relations; they will manage and control society.
