Polygyny
Polygyny was allowed in 83% of preindustrial societies and is the prevailing mating system in mammals. The well-known economist, Gary Becker, explained polygyny in terms of benefits for women. Similarly, animal behaviorists developed the “Polygyny Threshold Model” which explained polygyny as the outcome of female choice.
I wrote a series of papers in which I showed the theoretical weaknesses of these arguments. I also provided the first prospective, longitudinal data set on polygyny and child morality. My data showed that Dogon children do not fare nearly so well under polygyny as under monogamy, and that women in polygynous marriages have lower reproductive success than do women in monogamous marriages.
This work fostered a great deal of interest in using demographic data from Africa and elsewhere to test for effects of polygyny on child survival. Subsequent work replicated my findings, not only in Mali but also in other countries throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.