Human Biological Hypothetical Scenario (RAR!)

[Guardsman Bass]

When I was trying to think up a sort of near-human race for a fantasy fanfiction, I got to wondering about this. How would human development (historically, and societally) have differed from the present if human beings had a 'mating season,' when they were sexually turned on and active, instead of being sexually 'on' all the time?

[Zero]

That depends on which season it is.

[Guardsman Bass]

That depends on which season it is.

What I meant is if there was some specific time of the year when humans became sexually active, like a 'mating season,' instead of being sexually active all the time, as we are now.

[Zor]

That depends on which season it is.

What I meant is if there was some specific time of the year when humans became sexually active, like a 'mating season,' instead of being sexually active all the time, as we are now.

I think he was refering to when is the mating season taking place, not that it really matters. The Major thing is that Marrage may not evolve, Maybe we would end up like the Race, only developing technology faster and not being lizards and such.

Zor

[Trytostaydead]

When I was trying to think up a sort of near-human race for a fantasy fanfiction, I got to wondering about this. How would human development (historically, and societally) have differed from the present if human beings had a 'mating season,' when they were sexually turned on and active, instead of being sexually 'on' all the time?

Try reading Harry Turtledove's World War series.

[LadyTevar]

Well... sexuality would be very different.

With a set mating season, there might be more 'equality' in what a woman does the rest of the year, especially if they did not breed. If it's the same time of year for each woman, life would grind to a halt that month as everyone has sex on the brain. Would women be fertile every year, or would having a child delay it so the focus can be on rearing the child?

The ideal of woman as the 'weaker sex' and 'only good for childbearing' might not be as prevalent, or there might be a tendency for men to get over-protective to the point where women are isolated for their 'protection'. The extremes of the Mid-East and India in keeping their women away from other men could be commonplace, especially if women are fertile every year.

There might also be a thriving (black?) market for 'morning after pills' or other prophalatic measures, for those women who aren't wanting children, especially in those societies where a woman isn't just a breeder. Would a woman even want sex outside that mating period? Is sex just for procreation, or is it done for fun in between? That question right there will determine how liberal a world it is for women's rights.

Basically, you'll have to take a look at our near relatives, the gorillas and the bonabos. Gorillas have one Alpha Male who gets all the sex (mostly), while bonabos are the little whores who'll do anyone who stands still long enough. The gorillas are patriarchal, all children born are the Alpha's, and he is very protective of his mating rights and bloodline. Bonabos are communal; since the females mate with any male, no male will bother her child cause it might be his.

[dworkin]

A mating season could easily change many things.

Consider orgasms. Why do humans orgasm? It may be for things like strengthening pair bonds and providing a physical motivation for having regular sex (since humans are not overly fertile). So if you're a species that has a regular boinking season with it's own associated cues you could well kiss orgasms goodbye.

Speaking of cues. Humans have a vast array of cues, all of which say 'shag me, I'm fertile'. These will be manifestly different in a species with a defined mating season. So, at a glance, no boobies, pubic hair but also no armpit BO except during 'shag month'. We're unlikly to have nudity taboos since we won't have anything to 'inflame' the opposite sex during the off months.

Our society would be radically different. Like it or not our society is saturated with sex and it's regulation since every adult is 'in heat' 24/7.

Lastly there would be major physical reasons for having a mating season, just as there are major physical reasons for humanity's current sexuality.
Mating may be more of a sure thing and the young born more complete. This in turn demands longer gestation times and a complete remodeling of the female frame since they'll need an even wider pelvis. This means that the near-humans will be majorly dimorphic.
On the other hand the nears could go for rapid gestation and pull something like marsupials with a 'young pouch'. Such nears would result in very similar morphologies for male/female.

The upshot is that even what appears to be a small change can have very large and profound differences.

[Broomstick]

An interesting treatment of "humans having a time of "heat" rather than being sexual all the time" is Ursula K. LeGuin's The Left Hand of Darkness. In that book, the "near-humans" only have sexual impulses once a month (rather than once a year). Among other stuff - it's quite a long and involved novel.

[Broomstick]

Oh, just remembered --

For speculation on the consequences of humans having a "mating season" with blatant signals, you can also reference Jared Diamond's The Third Chimpanzee where he discusses/speculates about that in one of the chapters.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

An interesting treatment of "humans having a time of "heat" rather than being sexual all the time" is Ursula K. LeGuin's The Left Hand of Darkness. In that book, the "near-humans" only have sexual impulses once a month (rather than once a year). Among other stuff - it's quite a long and involved novel.

I love that book. It was so subtle in the way it smashed down the conceptions of fixed behaviour for the sexes in society--she started in a way which today seems nearly archaic but worked up to a series of subtle and brilliant developments reinforcing equality.

Of course, a rather major difference there is that there was only one sex in that society---everyone was hermaphroditic, and sexual responses during their heat depended on stimulation.