Human Mate Poaching

7 Pages 1788 Words

will begin to shed light on the phenomenon of mate poaching.

There is significant research that states; throughout history man has sought desirable mates through romantic tactics and courtship. Majority of this competition has and still is, in a mating pool of single persons (Schmitt, 2001). Considering in most ancient societies many women were married or selected to be married at or just after puberty, and that polygamy in many cultures was widely accepted, this would definitely narrow the mating pool down (Schmitt, 2001). Since it is natural for mankind to want to reproduce offspring, especially in early cultures where a large family provided protection, wealth and social and economical stability, the need for multiple mates was justified. In tradition foraging tribes (hunter-gather) that exist today, data shows that mate poaching exists, with “occasional” extramarital sex occurring in seventy percent of these cultures (Schmitt, 2001). Ancient mythological writings tell tales of mate poaching. In Homer’s “The Iliad” Helen was poached by Paris and taken to Troy simply because of her beauty. In the Bible, King David lusted after another man’s wife so feverishly, he sent Bathsheba’s husband to his death. Also in the Bible, Abraham’s wife could not bear children. She instructed Abraham to take a concubine so that he may carry on his lineage. After Abraham’s wife finally did bear childr...