As expected, he found that high-ranking men were involved most, which is consistent with the idea of having your paternal-genetic cake and eating it. However, unlike in birds, it was not just the wives of low-ranking men who indulged. It is true that Aché adulterers frequently ply their mistresses with gifts of meat, but Hill thinks the most important motive is that Aché women are constantly preparing for the possibility that they will be deserted by their husbands. They are building up alternative relationships and are more likely to be unfaithful if the marriage is going badly. That is, of
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