ABSTRACT
Concepts invoke mental images. For example, the concept “job satisfaction” might bring to mind an image of pleasant surroundings at work, friendly co-workers, a supportive boss, regular salary increases, or some combination of these or other elements of workplaces. A theory is a systematic explanation that links two concepts. For example, a theory of job satisfaction based on the rearing of children might suggest that differences in beliefs about what constitutes satisfying work reflect childhood experiences as girls and boys. A scientific hypothesis is a prediction based on a theory about the relationship between two or more concepts, which are in measurable form as variables. Like other scarce resources, sexual access is determined by power relationships within a highly stratified sexual market. The basic characteristic of this stratification system is the institution of sexual property, “the relatively permanent claim to exclusive sexual rights over a particular person”.
