Gender differences in attachment from an evolutionary perspective: what is Good for the goose may not be good for the gander

ABSTRACT

Human gender differences tend to be largest in behaviors of high reproductive relevance, that is, sexual and parenting behavior. Such differences show up best in biologically meaningful configurations of specific behaviors rather than in coarse categories. Paternal involvement is thus expressed in aspects and optima which differ from those of maternal involvement. A case in point is sensitivity in its effect on secure attachment, with paternal behavior to be measured by a yardstick different from maternal behavior. Secure father-child attachment may be fostered by optimal levels of paternal activation/stimulation which are different from maternal optima. Paternal action preferences lead to preferences for rough play, which may be especially relevant to the socialization of male offspring. Moreover, fathers—unlike mothers—may perceive their paternal effort as mating effort. The study of father-child attachment—and especially its differences from mother-child attachment—can benefit from considering evolved sex differences in parental behavior.

KEYWORDS:

• Gender difference
• sex difference
• attachment
• evolutionary
• parental behavior

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.