Introduction
There are many thoughts on the origins of human beings. A lot of people believe that they were created by God or some other spiritual form. However, the scientific approach usually recognizes humans as one of the biological species that obey the same laws of nature. Darwin’s theory offers an idea that all people have developed from a common ancestor with all other living creatures. Thus, biology affects our behavior and decisions. Nevertheless, most people act regarding their cultural background. While biology has much to do with our choices, the social environment shapes them to fit the community’s expectations.
Children and Household Roles
Looking back at history, it is easy to understand why patriarchal societies were the most popular model in the past. It was extremely difficult for a pregnant woman to protect herself, find food, and build a shelter in the prehistoric era. Early people developed a system where males were ensuring security and food, while women stayed at home and took care of the community. This model is still popular nowadays, especially in emerging states where the income of women does not exceed the benefits they could offer while maintaining households.
The matter of reproduction among the cavemen was also determined by the biological side of people. Like many other mammal species, human males tried to conceive as many children as possible, disregarding the number of female partners. There is a theory that modern marriage has appeared as a result of this practice since a lot of weaker men could not get their chance to mate. Thus, people have created a system where they form a couple instead of many women raising children from one male. This model has economic benefits and serves as a source of genetic variation.
Modern Marriage
It may seem that our model of behaving in a family is predetermined by our culture. While it is partially true, there is some portion of the biological reasoning for our actions. For instance, despite the benefits of marriage between two people, divorce rates are very high. Often, they are reasoned by cases when one of the spouses finds another person he or she finds attractive. Many psychologists explain it in a way that human biology does not accept such limits to the variety of partners. While in the past centuries divorce was rare mostly due to religious reasons, it is currently a common practice in the West since there are hardly any social limitations.
The religion of Islam is a peculiar case of an attempt to combine biology and culture. It is a fact that it allows men to have up to four wives, yet only if he has the means to support all of them equally. Some imams say that in ancient times, men took as many wives as they wanted. Islamic prophets decided not to limit their number to one female and chose four as an optimal value. This is a good example of how the biological interests of men were integrated into the local culture.
Conclusion
As the world slowly becomes free from prejudice, people start to make decisions based on their feelings and beliefs. While culture strongly affects them, biology has much to do with unconscious choices. A family is a part of the social institution that is important to people as biological species.