Item Detail
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8355
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3
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0
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English
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Polygynous Fertility : Sexual Competition versus Progeny
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American Journal of Sociology
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January 1989
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94
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832-55
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Birth intervals in polygamous marriages among Mormons in 19th-century Utah are analyzed to determine possible reasons for the effects of polygamy on fertility. Prior research suggested at least three explanations: (1) sexual favoritism, (2) sexual competition, and (3) male demand for progeny. The results of this study suggest that the desire for a large number of progeny was a more plausible explanation for men taking additional wives.