Adopted daughters and adopted daughters-in-law in Taiwan: a mortality analysis
Adoption is sometimes considered paradoxical from an evolutionary perspective because the costs spent supporting an adopted child would be better spent on rearing one's own. Kin selection theory is commonly used to solve this paradox, because the adoption of closely related kin contributes to t...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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The Royal Society
2018-01-01
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| Series: | Royal Society Open Science |
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| Online Access: | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsos.171745 |
| _version_ | 1828900466711330816 |
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| author | Siobhán M. Mattison Edmond Seabright Adam Z. Reynolds Jingzhe (Bill) Cao Melissa J. Brown Marcus W. Feldman |
| author_facet | Siobhán M. Mattison Edmond Seabright Adam Z. Reynolds Jingzhe (Bill) Cao Melissa J. Brown Marcus W. Feldman |
| author_sort | Siobhán M. Mattison |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Adoption is sometimes considered paradoxical from an evolutionary perspective because the costs spent supporting an adopted child would be better spent on rearing one's own. Kin selection theory is commonly used to solve this paradox, because the adoption of closely related kin contributes to the inclusive fitness of the adoptive parent. In this paper, we perform a novel test of kin selection theory in the context of adoption by asking whether adopted daughters-in-law, who contribute directly (i.e. genealogically) to the perpetuation of their adoptive families' lineages, experience lower mortality than daughters adopted for other purposes in historical Taiwan. We show that both classes of adopted daughter suffer lower mortality than biological daughters, but that the protective effect of adoption is stronger among daughters who were not adopted with the intention of perpetuating the family lineage. We speculate as to the possible benefits of such a pattern and emphasize the need to move beyond typological definitions of adoption to understand the specific costs and benefits involved in different forms of caring for others' children. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T15:47:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4cbab1b9c0d84fad8396f963e8a87880 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2054-5703 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T15:47:44Z |
| publishDate | 2018-01-01 |
| publisher | The Royal Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Royal Society Open Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-4cbab1b9c0d84fad8396f963e8a878802022-12-21T23:39:38ZengThe Royal SocietyRoyal Society Open Science2054-57032018-01-015310.1098/rsos.171745171745Adopted daughters and adopted daughters-in-law in Taiwan: a mortality analysisSiobhán M. MattisonEdmond SeabrightAdam Z. ReynoldsJingzhe (Bill) CaoMelissa J. BrownMarcus W. FeldmanAdoption is sometimes considered paradoxical from an evolutionary perspective because the costs spent supporting an adopted child would be better spent on rearing one's own. Kin selection theory is commonly used to solve this paradox, because the adoption of closely related kin contributes to the inclusive fitness of the adoptive parent. In this paper, we perform a novel test of kin selection theory in the context of adoption by asking whether adopted daughters-in-law, who contribute directly (i.e. genealogically) to the perpetuation of their adoptive families' lineages, experience lower mortality than daughters adopted for other purposes in historical Taiwan. We show that both classes of adopted daughter suffer lower mortality than biological daughters, but that the protective effect of adoption is stronger among daughters who were not adopted with the intention of perpetuating the family lineage. We speculate as to the possible benefits of such a pattern and emphasize the need to move beyond typological definitions of adoption to understand the specific costs and benefits involved in different forms of caring for others' children.https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsos.171745fictive kinshipminor marriageevolutionary demographyalloparenting |
| spellingShingle | Siobhán M. Mattison Edmond Seabright Adam Z. Reynolds Jingzhe (Bill) Cao Melissa J. Brown Marcus W. Feldman Adopted daughters and adopted daughters-in-law in Taiwan: a mortality analysis Royal Society Open Science fictive kinship minor marriage evolutionary demography alloparenting |
| title | Adopted daughters and adopted daughters-in-law in Taiwan: a mortality analysis |
| title_full | Adopted daughters and adopted daughters-in-law in Taiwan: a mortality analysis |
| title_fullStr | Adopted daughters and adopted daughters-in-law in Taiwan: a mortality analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Adopted daughters and adopted daughters-in-law in Taiwan: a mortality analysis |
| title_short | Adopted daughters and adopted daughters-in-law in Taiwan: a mortality analysis |
| title_sort | adopted daughters and adopted daughters in law in taiwan a mortality analysis |
| topic | fictive kinship minor marriage evolutionary demography alloparenting |
| url | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsos.171745 |
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