Synonyms
Definition
The grandmother hypothesis is a proposed solution to the evolutionary puzzle of midlife menopause and postmenopausal longevity in several mammal species, whereby postmenopausal females confer greater alloparental care to their kin than would be possible if they continued ovulating or died following menopause.
Introduction
The grandmother hypothesis proposes that the function of postmenopausal (i.e., postreproductive) life in females is to provide alloparental care to kin. The hypothesis is invoked to explain not only why senescence and menopause occur and why much of female life is spent in an infertile state but also why post-reproductive females provide especially high amounts of investment to the members of their kin group.
Senescence and Menopause
The grandmother hypothesis was developed as a solution to the apparent puzzle of menopause as observed in humans and other species. Menopause is best defined as the permanent, non-pathologic,...
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References
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Jeffery, A. (2016). Grandmother Hypothesis. In: Weekes-Shackelford, V., Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1195-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1195-1
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Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
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