Sex-specific demography and the evolution of gender-biased harmful cultural practices

Project Information

EvoBias

Grant agreement ID: 834597

DOI

10.3030/834597

Project closed

EC signature date 13 December 2019

Start date 1 January 2020

End date 31 December 2025

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)

Total cost

€ 2 396 926,25

EU contribution

€ 2 396 926,25

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON
United Kingdom

CORDIS provides links to public deliverables and publications of HORIZON projects.

Links to deliverables and publications from FP7 projects, as well as links to some specific result types such as dataset and software, are dynamically retrieved from OpenAIRE .

Publications

Peer reviewed articles (31)

Dated phylogeny suggests early Neolithic origin of Sino-Tibetan languages

Author(s): Hanzhi Zhang, Ting Ji, Mark Pagel, Ruth Mace
Published in: Scientific Reports, Issue 10/1, 2020, ISSN 2045-2322
Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-77404-4

Post-marital residence patterns and the timing of reproduction: evidence from a matrilineal society

Author(s): Juan Du, Yaming Huang, Peng-Peng Bai, Liqiong Zhou, Sarah Myers, Abigail E. Page, Ruth Mace
Published in: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, Issue 290, 2024, ISSN 0962-8452
Publisher: Royal Society of London
DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0159

Human behavioural ecology is cultural ecology

Author(s): Ruth Mace
Published in: Evolution and Human Behavior, Issue 46, 2025, Page(s) 106744, ISSN 1090-5138
Publisher: Elsevier BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2025.106744

A phylogenetic analysis of dispersal norms, descent and subsistence in Sino-Tibetans

Author(s): Ting Ji; Hanzhi Zhang; Mark Pagel; Ruth Mace
Published in: Evolution and Human Behavior, Issue 43 (2022), 2022, Page(s) 147–154, ISSN 1090-5138
Publisher: Elsevier BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2021.12.002

Beyond Genetics: Exploring Aspects of Non-Biological Kinship in Prehistoric Times

Author(s): Cveček Sabina, Herrero-Corral Ana, Rebay-Salisbury Katharina, Banffy Eszter, Brami Maxime, Chaix Raphaëlle, Hrnčíř Václav, Johnson Kent, F. Lancy David, Le Roy Mélie, Mace Ruth, Schweitzer Peter, Sear Rebecca, Seguin-Orlando Andaine, Shankland David, Somel Mehmet, Souvatzi Stella, Whiteley Peter, Žegarac Aleksandra
Published in: Nature Anthropology, Issue 3, 2025, Page(s) 10016-10016, ISSN 2959-7641
Publisher: SCIE Publishing Limited
DOI: 10.70322/natanthropol.2025.10016

Gender differences in social networks under subsistence changes

Author(s): Yaming Huang, Gabriel Šaffa, Shiting Zhang, Pengpeng Bai, Liqiong Zhou, Gui He, Ruth Mace, Juan Du
Published in: Evolution and Human Behavior, Issue 47, 2026, Page(s) 106814, ISSN 1090-5138
Publisher: Elsevier BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2025.106814

A rapid decline in gender bias relates to changes in subsistence practices over demographic changes in a formerly matrilineal community

Author(s): Yaming Huang, Pengpeng Bai, Liqiong Zhou, Ruth Mace, Juan Du
Published in: iScience, Issue 28, 2025, Page(s) 111926, ISSN 2589-0042
Publisher: Elsevier BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.111926

Population turnover, behavioral conservatism, and rates of cultural evolution

Author(s): Mark Dyble; Alberto J C Micheletti
Published in: Crossref, Issue 5, 2024, ISSN 1465-7279
Publisher: Oxford University Press
DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arae003

Studying human culture with small datasets and evolutionary models

Author(s): Alberto J. C. Micheletti; Erhao Ge; Liqiong Zhou; Yuan Chen; Juan Du; Ruth Mace
Published in: Proceedings of the Royal Society: Biological Sciences, Issue 2, 2023, ISSN 1471-2954
Publisher: Royal Society
DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0753

Sex differences in costly signaling in rural Western China

Author(s): CaiRangDongZhi, Erhao Ge, Juan Du, Ruth Mace
Published in: Evolution and Human Behavior, Issue Volume 44, Issue 2, 2023, Page(s) 80-87, ISSN 1090-5138
Publisher: Elsevier BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2023.02.009

The cultural evolution of witchcraft beliefs

Author(s): Sarah Peacey, Baihui Wu, Rebecca Grollemund, Ruth Mace
Published in: Evolution and Human Behavior, Issue 45, 2024, Page(s) 106610, ISSN 1090-5138
Publisher: Elsevier BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2024.106610

Discrepancies in Self-reporting of Bride Kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan

Author(s): Narhulan Halimbekh, Olympia L. K. Campbell, Yishan Xie, Anar Erjan, Anna Dmitrieva, Almagul Aisarieva, Zhamila Zhalieva, Damira Toktorova, Cholpon Kabylovna Sooronbaeva, Ruth Mace
Published in: Human Nature, Issue 36, 2025, Page(s) 382-402, ISSN 1045-6767
Publisher: Aldine de Gruyter
DOI: 10.1007/s12110-025-09500-1

Monks relax sibling competition over parental resources in Tibetan populations

Author(s): Liqiong Zhou; Erhao Ge; Alberto J C Micheletti; Yuan Chen; Juan Du; Ruth Mace
Published in: Behavioral Ecology, Issue 2, 2022, ISSN 1465-7279
Publisher: Oxford University Press
DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arac059

Jeans and Language: kin networks and reproductive success are associated with the adoption of outgrip norms

Author(s): Qiao-Qiao He,Jie-Ru Yu, Song-Hua Tang, Ming-Yang Wang, Jia-Jia Wu, Yuan Chen, Yi Tao, Ting Ji, Ruth Mace
Published in: Philosophical Transactions: Biological Sciences, 2024, ISSN 1471-2970
Publisher: Royal Society
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0031

Gender inequality in workloads explained by operational sex ratio

Author(s): Yuan Chen, Erhao Ge, Liqiong Zhou, Juan Du, Ruth Mace
Published in: iScience, Issue 27, 2024, Page(s) 110063, ISSN 2589-0042
Publisher: Elevier
DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110063

Alcohol consumption, life history and extinction risk among Raute hunter–gatherers from Nepal

Author(s): Inez Derkx, Gina Menn, Sudarshan Subedi, Nagendra Upadhyaya, Prajwal Rajbhandari, Anita Gyawali, Ruth Mace, Jaume Bertranpetit, Lucio Vinicius, Andrea Bamberg Migliano
Published in: Evolutionary Human Sciences, Issue 6, 2024, ISSN 2513-843X
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
DOI: 10.1017/ehs.2024.42

Different predictors of intimate partner and natal family violence against women

Author(s): Olympia L K Campbell, Ruth Mace
Published in: Evolution, medicine and public health, 2022, ISSN 2050-6201
Publisher: Oxford University Press
DOI: 10.1093/emph/eoac019

Religiosity and gender bias structure social networks

Author(s): Erhao Ge; CaiRang DongZhi; Ruth Mace
Published in: Evolutionary Human Sciences , 6 , Article e23. (2024), Issue 4, 2024, ISSN 2513-843X
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
DOI: 10.1017/ehs.2024.16

The gender gap in adolescent mental health: A cross-national investigation of 566,829 adolescents across 73 countries

Author(s): Olympia L K Campbell, David Bann, Praveetha Patalay
Published in: SSM - Population Health, Issue 13, 2021, Page(s) 100742, ISSN 2352-8273
Publisher: Elsevier
DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2021.100742

Same-sex competition and sexual conflict expressed through witchcraft accusations

Author(s): Sarah Peacey, Olympia Campbell, Ruth Mace
Published in: Scientific Reports, 2022, ISSN 2045-2322
Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-10315-8

Sex inequality driven by dispersal

Author(s): Yuan Chen, Erhao Ge, Liqiong Zhou, Juan Du, Ruth Mace
Published in: Current Biology, 2023, ISSN 1879-0445
Publisher: Cell Press
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.12.027

Prevalence of mental health in relation to religious practices in a contemporary small-scale older Amdo Tibetans

Author(s): Liqiong Zhou, Aijie Zhang, Yasi Zhang, Yuan Chen, Erhao Ge, Juan Du, Zhao Hu, Ruth Mace, Yiqiang Zhan
Published in: PLOS Mental Health, Issue 2, 2025, Page(s) e0000099, ISSN 2837-8156
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmen.0000099

Communal breeding by women is associated with lower investment from husbands

Author(s): Qiao-Qiao He; Jun-Wen Rui; Li Zhang; Yi Tao; Jia-Jia Wu; Ruth Mace; Ting Ji
Published in: Evolutionary Human Sciences, Issue 1, 2022, ISSN 2513-843X
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
DOI: 10.1017/ehs.2022.47

Ancient DNA reveals a two-clanned matrilineal community in Neolithic China

Author(s): Jincheng Wang, Shi Yan, Zhenguang Li, Jinguo Zan, Yichao Zhao, Jin Zhao, Kui Chen, Xueye Wang, Ting Ji, Cheng Zhang, Tingyu Yang, Tianming Zhang, Rui Qiao, Meilin Guo, Zongyue Rao, Jiashuo Zhang, Guanbo Wang, Zhiyu Ran, Chen Duan, Fan Zhang, Yin Song, Xiaohong Wu, Ruth Mace, Bo Sun, Yuhong Pang, Yanyi Huang, Hai Zhang, Chao Ning
Published in: Nature, Issue 643, 2025, Page(s) 1304-1311, ISSN 0028-0836
Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09103-x

Genetic markers of cousin marriage and honour cultures

Author(s): Olympia L.K. Campbell, Cecilia Padilla-Iglesias, Grégory Fiorio, Ruth Mace
Published in: Evolution and Human Behavior, Issue 45, 2024, Page(s) 106636, ISSN 1090-5138
Publisher: Elsevier BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2024.106636

Cultural extinction in evolutionary perspective

Author(s): Hanzhi Zhang, Ruth Mace
Published in: Evolutionary Human Sciences, Issue 3, 2021, ISSN 2513-843X
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
DOI: 10.1017/ehs.2021.25

Having a monk in the family and all-cause mortality: a seven-year prospective cohort study

Author(s): Liqiong Zhou, Yuan Chen, Erhao Ge, Aijie Zhang, Yasi Zhang, Juan Du, Ruth Mace, Yiqiang Zhan
Published in: Evolutionary Human Sciences, Issue 7, 2025, ISSN 2513-843X
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
DOI: 10.1017/ehs.2025.1

What is cultural evolution anyway?

Author(s): Alberto Micheletti, Eva Brandl, Ruth Mace
Published in: Behavioural Ecology, 2022, ISSN 1045-2249
Publisher: Oxford University Press
DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arac011

Skewed sex ratios and violence against women in Pakistan

Author(s): Olympia L. K. Campbell, Maheen Pracha, Ruth Mace
Published in: Evolutionary Human Sciences, Issue 7, 2025, ISSN 2513-843X
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
DOI: 10.1017/ehs.2025.10003

Religious celibacy brings inclusive fitness benefits

Author(s): Alberto Micheletti, Erhao Ge, Liqiong Zhou, Yuan Chen, Hanzhi Zhang, Juan Du, Mace, Ruth
Published in: Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Issue 289, 2022, Page(s) 20220965, ISSN 0962-8452
Publisher: Royal Society of London
DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0965

Sibling competition and dispersal drive sex differences in religious celibacy

Author(s): Alberto J.C. Micheletti; Ruth Mace
Published in: Evolution and Human Behavior, Issue 5, 2024, ISSN 1879-0607
Publisher: Elsevier
DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2024.01.004

Other (3)

Supporting Information from Religious celibacy brings inclusive fitness benefits

Author(s): Micheletti, Alberto J. C.; Ge, Erhao; Zhou, Liqiong; Chen, Yuan; Zhang, Hanzhi; Du, Juan; Mace, Ruth
Published in: Proceedings Royal Society B, Issue 1, 2022
Publisher: Royal Society
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.20026139

Supplementary information from Jeans and language: kin networks and reproductive success are associated with the adoption of outgroup norms

Author(s): He, Qiao-Qiao; Yu, Jie-Ru; Tang, Song-Hua; Wang, Ming-Yang; Wu, Jia-Jia; Chen, Yuan; Tao, Yi; Ji, Ting; Mace, Ruth
Published in: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, Issue 4, 2024
Publisher: Royal Society of London
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.24805093.v1

Religiosity and gender bias structure social networks in a Tibetan population

Author(s): Erhao GeCaiRangDongZhiRuth Mace
Published in: 2022
Publisher: OSF Pre Prints
DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/qpa4b

Thesis and dissertations (3)

Comparative study of social organisation and work burden in China. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London)

Author(s): Yuan Chen
Published in: UCL PhD, 2024
Publisher: UCL

The Behavioural Ecology Of Costly Religious Practices

Author(s): Erhao Ge
Published in: UCL PhD, 2024
Publisher: UCL

Cousin Marriage, Honour, and Violence Against Women: A Cross-Cultural and Behavioural Ecological Approach

Author(s): Olympia L K Campbell
Published in: UCL PhD, 2024
Publisher: UCL

Book chapters (3)

Was ist eigentlich Kulturevolution?

Author(s): Eva Brandl, Alberto Micheletti, Ruth Mace
Published in: Evolutionäre Sozialwissenschaften, 2024, Page(s) 149-159
Publisher: Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-658-43624-7_8

Cultural Evolution Research Needs to Include Human Behavioural Ecology

Author(s): Micheletti AJC, Brandl E, Peacey S, Zhang H, Ruth Mace
Published in: Synthese Library, 2023, Page(s) 478:501-528
Publisher: Springer Nature
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-33358-3_22

What is Cultural Evolution Anyway?

Author(s): Alberto Micheletti, Eva Brandl, Ruth Mace
Published in: Evolutionary Social Sciences, 2025, Page(s) 141-149, ISBN 978-3-658-48027-1
Publisher: Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-658-48028-8_8