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Schwiegermütter und Totgeburten

Published Online:https://doi.org/10.1024/0044-3514.35.3.171

Zusammenfassung: Wir argumentieren, dass die Psychologie des Schwiegermutter/Schwiegertochter-Konflikts auf einen genetischen Interessenskonflikt zurückgeht. Anhand von Statistiken zur Totgeburtlichkeit zeigen wir, dass dieser Konflikt unter den sozio-ökologischen Bedingungen der ländlichen Krummhörner Bevölkerung des 18. und 19.Jahrhunderts (Ostfriesland) reproduktive Kosten verursacht hat. Drei Szenarien könnten zur Evolution des Schwiegerkonflikts geführt haben: in dem “Monopolisierungs-Szenario” geht es der Schwiegermutter um eine best mögliche Erhöhung der Vaterschaftswahrscheinlichkeit ihres Sohnes. In dem Szenario zur “Steigerung des Paarungserfolgs” brechen Schwiegermütter starke emotionale Bande zwischen ihren Söhnen und deren Partnerinnen auf, um den Söhnen weitere, außereheliche Paarungsmöglichkeiten zu erleichtern. In dem “Ausbeutungs-Szenario” sind Schwiegermütter bestrebt, die ökonomischen Erträge aus der Arbeit von Schwiegertöchtern in die eigene Familienökonomie zu überführen. Die Krummhörner Schwiegerkonflikte entsprechen wahrscheinlich am besten der Logik des “Ausbeutungs-Szenarios”. Wir schließen mit der Hypothese, dass die soziale und reproduktive Manipulation der Schwiegertöchter durch die Schwiegermütter ein weiterer evolutionärer Weg zur Entstehung der postgenerativen Lebensspanne gewesen sein könnte.


Abstract: We suggest that the psychology of the mother-in-law/daughter-in-law conflict traces back to a genetic conflict of interests. With statistics on the impact of mothers-in-law on stillbirth rate we show that this conflict has generated reproductive costs in the rural Krummhörn population (Ostfriesland, Germany, 1750-1874). Three scenarios possibly could have led to the evolution of the in-law conflict. In the “mate-guarding scenario”, the mother-in-law wants to maximise her son's paternal certainty. In the “mating-enhancement scenario”, mothers-in-law break up strong emotional bonds between their sons and the latters' mates in order to facilitate additional extramarital mating opportunities for their sons. In the “exploitation scenario”, mothers-in-law strive to transfer economic earnings from the work done by daughters-in-law to their own family's economy. The Krummhörn in-law conflicts most likely correspond to the logic of the “exploitation scenario”. We conclude by hypothesising that the social and reproductive manipulation of daughters-in-law by their mothers-in-law could be another evolutionary route to female longevity.

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