Paternal effect on offspring survivorship among ache and hiwi hunter-gatherers: Implications for modeling pair-bond stability

The effects of father absence on child morbidity and mortality constitute an area of considerable interest in the medical and social sciences (Desai 1970; Franklin and Vial 1981; Marchione 1980; Brown 1973; Lancaster 1988 and references therein; Epenshade 1979; Daly and Wilson 1985; Berklov and Sklar 1976; Jason et al. 1983; Golding et al. 1986; Skjaerven and Irgens 1988). The few studies that have been conducted indicate that there are large differences in the effects of father absence on child survivorship across societies. In some populations the absence of fathers leads to a decrease in child health while in others paternal abandonment may lead to an increase or to no change in the health of offspring (see Lancaster 1988). For example, some studies show that in modem economies with well-developed health care systems child survivorship is negatively affected by the absence of fathers (e.g., Sweden, see Skjaer ven and Irgens 1988), while in less developed countries child survivorship is sometimes positively associated with father absence (e.g., Do minican Republic, Brown 1973). Interestingly, this high variation in paternal effects on child health across human populations is paralleled by a rich diversity in human mating systems.