ABSTRACT
The human species, like other animals, is judged by evolu-
tion according to the number of its offspring that survive to
the next generation and reproduce. The male (Figure 4.1) and
female anatomies and reproductive physiology and behavior
have been tailored over millions of years of evolution to pro-
vide for the optimal performance. As a viviparous animal that
usually bears one young alive at a time, after a long interval
of pregnancy and before an even longer interval of lactation,
the anatomy, physiology, and behavior of the two sexes are
very different: the woman provides a disproportionate share
of the energy and time which must be devoted to reproduc-
ing the next generation. A woman can only conceive, feed,
and care for a relatively small number of children in her rela-
tively brief fertile life, while a man, if he is ruthless and
competitive, can father a relatively large number of children.
