How Cooperative Caregiving and Kinship Systems May Have Shaped the Evolution of Sexual and Gender Diversity
By
Francisco R. Gómez JiménezDoug P. VanderLaan
Summary
This article explores how human cultural practices of cooperative caregiving and kinship systems may have shaped the evolution and persistence of sexual and gender diversity across societies. Drawing on cross-cultural research, including examples from Thailand, Samoa, and other non-Western cultures, the piece argues that same-sex sexuality and gender diversity have endured throughout human history partly because family and community support systems allowed gender-nonconforming individuals to contribute to caregiving and kinship roles. The article challenges purely evolutionary models that frame same-sex sexuality as a paradox, instead proposing that cooperative breeding and flexible kinship structures in human societies created niches for diverse sexual and gender expressions.
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bskyHow Cooperative Caregiving and Kinship Systems May Have Shaped the Evolution of Sexual and Gender Diversityprosocial.worldKey quotes
· 3 pulledResearch across cultures suggests that family care and support may help explain why same-sex sexuality has endured throughout human history.
A mother explained that her 7-year-old was neither a boy nor a girl. Rather, the child was tung ting, a Thai term that our interpreter translated as 'girlish.'
Instead, her child preferred feminine toys, liked to imitate female characters from television and movies, and enjoyed dance.
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