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[–]7LeagueBootsConservation Ecologist 23 points24 points  (12 children)

It's worth noting that the percentage of men in the population who were actively reproducing has varied a lot through prehistory and history.

With the advent of agriculture a much smaller percentage of men were able to reproduce than previously, and it remained that way for a long time.

Once upon a time, 4,000 to 8,000 years after humanity invented agriculture, something very strange happened to human reproduction. Across the globe, for every 17 women who were reproducing, passing on genes that are still around today—only one man did the same.

"It wasn't like there was a mass death of males. They were there, so what were they doing?" asks Melissa Wilson Sayres, a computational biologist at Arizona State University, and a member of a group of scientists who uncovered this moment in prehistory by analyzing modern genes.

Another member of the research team, a biological anthropologist, hypothesizes that somehow, only a few men accumulated lots of wealth and power, leaving nothing for others. These men could then pass their wealth on to their sons, perpetuating this pattern of elitist reproductive success. Then, as more thousands of years passed, the numbers of men reproducing, compared to women, rose again. "Maybe more and more people started being successful," Wilson Sayres says. In more recent history, as a global average, about four or five women reproduced for every one man.

Here's the research paper:

[–]DeliberatingManager 4 points5 points  (3 children)

This is very interesting. Note that it's possible that these males were having offspring but that these descendants (their lineage) did not fare successfully afterwards. I.e that the original males themselves did reproduce.

[–]7LeagueBootsConservation Ecologist 4 points5 points  (2 children)

That's true, but given how widespread this seems to be that's less likely.

[–]DwarvenTacoParty 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Is it not possible that the "descendants not faring well" was also widespread?

[–]7LeagueBootsConservation Ecologist 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s possible, but given the breadth of the study (110 different populations around the globe) that’s an unlikely coincidence.

[–]MarinatedPickachu 5 points6 points  (3 children)

What is it today?

[–]TheFactedOne 7 points8 points  (2 children)

I googled this question. It really varies by site and opinion. One site, maybe quora says 72% of men, another says 40%. This tells me either I googled the wrong thing, or we just don't know right now.

[–]Ghutom[S] 8 points9 points  (1 child)

https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2019/mens-fertility.html According to this, roughly 60% of men become fathers by the time they're 40.

[–]NearABE 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For y chromosome survival wouldn't you need the number of men who father boys? As opposed to mitochondrial DNA measuring the nu.ber of women having girls.

If 100% of men had exactly 2 offspring and one mutation then 25% of them would not pass on their y chromosome mutation.

[–]No-Eggplant-5396 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is this related to human monogamy?

[–]Gavin_Runeblade 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The related question: why didn't this provide sufficient pressure to change the sex ratio at birth to favor more women?