A comprehensive study of 121 primate species reveals that alpha male dominance is uncommon, as 70 percent of populations show no clear dominance between sexes. The analysis, based on 253 existing studies, indicates that power dynamics are more flexible than previously believed, raising important questions about the origins of gender power inequities in humans. The research challenges the long-held notion that male dominance is the baseline in primate societies and suggests that both male and female roles can be contested more frequently than thought.
The study's authors say their research could pave the way to a deeper understanding into one of science's murkiest questions: the origins of power inequities between men and women.
Male dominance is not a baseline, as was implicitly thought for a long time in primatology, indicating far more flexibility in power dynamics between male and female primates.
The researchers found that for 70 percent of observed primate populations, neither sex was clearly dominant, challenging long-held assumptions about primate hierarchies.
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