Male Rivalry Increases When Females at Most Fertile

Male Dominance

Men become more jealous of dominant males when their female partner isnear ovulation, researchers at the University of Liverpool have found.

Previous studies have found that women's preferences for malephysical appearance vary according to their fertility status. Duringovulation women tend to find masculine looking men more attractive andprefer their voices and odour. During this fertile phase women are morelikely to have an affair with a masculine-looking man, as theirfeatures are linked to high testosterone levels, demonstrating goodgenetic qualities that can be passed on to offspring.

New research at the University has found that men sense thispreference shift in their female partners and find masculine men morethreatening during their partner's most fertile phase. Rob Burriss andDr Anthony Little, from the University's School of Biological Sciences,also found that men only behave in this way if their female partnerdoes not use oral contraception