Parent-offspring conflict over the age of procreation: A life-history perspective

Parents do not always agree with the mating decisions of their offspring, and the time at which mating is initiated is one such area of disagreement: Parents prefer their children to initiate sexual relations later and to marry earlier than their offspring prefer for themselves. This paper advances this argument by proposing that parent-offspring disagreement also exists over the age of procreation. In particular, three hypotheses are tested: First, parents prefer their children to procreate earlier than their children prefer for themselves. Second, parents prefer their daughters and sons to have children sooner after they get married than their daughters and sons prefer for themselves. Finally, parents prefer their daughters to procreate earlier and delay having children less after they get married than their sons. Evidence from two independent studies provides support for all three hypotheses.

► Parents prefer their children to procreate earlier than their children prefer for themselves.
► Parents prefer their daughters to procreate earlier than their sons.
► Parents are in agreement between them over their children’s timing of procreation.