sexy son hypothesis

Meanings

1. The hypothesis, in evolutionary biology, that a female animal's optimal choice among potential mates is a male whose genes will produce male offspring with the best chance of reproductive success, irrespective of the mate's capacity as a caregiver or any other direct benefits he can offer.

Etymology

Coined by P. J. Weatherhead and R. J. Robertson in a paper published in The American Naturalist (1979).