New research on Monday contradicted the commonly held idea that males dominate females among primates, revealing far more nuanced power dynamics in the relationships of our close relatives.

New research on Monday contradicted the commonly held idea that males dominate females among primates, revealing far more nuanced power dynamics in the relationships of our close relatives.

  • Not_mikey@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    121·
    6 days ago

    The title is misleading, the study doesn’t say they’re a myth, just not the norm. This would be like saying, “Marine mammals are a myth.”

    The study isn’t saying “alpha males don’t exist”. It’s saying not all primates have clear dominance across gender lines, ie. Males always dominating females. Some species like chimps and baboons do have male dominated social structures, while others have female dominated social structures like bonobos and lemur. Though for the majority, 70%, there is no clear gender that is dominant.

    It doesn’t say anything about hierarchy within gender though. As far as I know chimps do have a hierarchy within the males and there is an “alpha” at the top. That’s not a myth and since the article does say chimps are male dominated it can be said that the troops has an alpha male who is at the top of the hierarchy.

    This doesn’t mean humans naturally have alpha males, as the article shows there is a lot of variance within primates, but alpha males are a real part of that variety, not a myth.

    • solo@piefed.socialEnglish
      5·
      6 days ago

      I tend to agree with what you say but I feel like mentionning a couple of things I see perhaps differently.

      I believe saying marine mammals are a myth has nothing to do with claiming alpha males don’t exist. The first is about a biological classification, the latter is about observed (or projected) social behaviors within one species.

      Apart from that, and to my understanding, the manosphere has taken a hold of the alpha male narrative and expanded it far beyond the scientifically debunked myth. I do not imply that the fact that the alpha male myth has been debunked means that there are no hierarchical structures in species, just that when they are present, they are misrepresented in order to promote competitive narratives. This is why primatologist Frans de Waal inadvertently popularized the term ‘alpha male.’ Now, he’s debunking common stereotypes to explain what an ‘alpha male’ really is – empathetic and protective.