The Evolutionary Case For Monogamy?

by Patrick Appel

One of Christopher Ryan's readers asks:

My question is, could there be a natural selective pressure in post-agricultural societies to favor monogamy, such as if offspring raised by monogamous parents would be more likely to "succeed" (have higher fitness, or reproductive success) than those raised by single parents?

Ryan's answer:

What's the genetic correlate to "monogamy?" In other words, assuming there are no genesspecifically devoted to making one more or less prone to...