Brooke Scelza: University of California, Los Angeles

Research on human mate preferences has been conducted mainly in industrialized societies, where multiple mating and concurrent partnerships are heavily stigmatized. However, cross-culturally, extra-pair partnerships are more common, and there is significant variation in the acceptance of such relationships, particularly for women. In order to better understand how a system of concurrency can be maintained, I will present data from 10 years of fieldwork with Himba pastoralists living in northwest Namibia, a culture where nonmarital partnerships are both common and normatively sanctioned. After presenting demographic data on the rates of concurrency and paternity in this population, I will discuss the potential benefits to women of having multiple partners, using both quantitative and qualitative data. Next, I will explore the reasons why men might tolerate, or even support, such a system, despite the paternity loss that accompanies non-marital sex. Finally, I will discuss how social norms about extra-marital sex, jealousy and paternal care support a system of concurrency in this population.