Reproductive behaviour

My interests here are primarily in the effects of our allocation to gendered social-roles on health and reproductive behaviour. This has allowed me to work across disciplines, including endocrinology, behavioural ecology, evolutionary and social psychology, and immunology. Some examples of projects include:

Division of labour and reproductive behaviour: I have conducted a number of studies to explore how women's financial independence influences their reproductive strategies. I am currently supervising PhD student Jaime Benjamin (University of Dundee) who is looking at women’s endorsement of traditional gender roles and the effects of this on their partner preferences. I am working with PhD student Ethan Lumb and Professor Indrikis Krams of the University of Tartu to explore the ways in which women’s social roles across historical time periods have shaped their reproductive behaviour.

The effects of sex- and stress-hormones on sexual signalling: this project seeks to identify the hormonal underpinnings of those male traits that are used to attract females. Examples include the effects of testosterone and cortisol on human male facial appearance and avian plumage. For this body of work I was able to collaborate with a number of international researchers, including Dr Vinet Coetzee (University of Pretoria), Professor Indrikis Krams (University of Tartu), and Professor Dave Perrett (University of St Andrews).

Funding: This work has been funded by MRC, Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, the British Academy, the Human Behaviour and Evolution Society, and the Royal Society of Edinburgh.