Is it ok for a nurse to weigh in? Not that nursing gives me any qualifications for this topic. I’m just a science nerd who loves to read and talk science.
I think the idea that prehistoric women have competed with each other for men and men favor successful female fighters is modern male fantasy rather than the outcome of Darwinian natural selection. In fact, in most complex species (i.e. mammals), it’s the males who compete and the females are selective
. Rin753 is correct. For males, it’s about quantity. Females look for quality. Females are attracted to which males can provide the best resources for offspring to survive. That’s why we like jocks, rock stars, men with status and power, and rich guys. Males are driven to reproduce as much as they possibly can. The male elk that wins the antler fight in rutting season will try to boff every female in the harem. It’s a similar process in most species.
It is believed that natural selection has favored women NOT fighting for the simple reason that we are critically valuable in birthing and raising children to risk serious injury or death. Men, on the other hand, are more expendable, so they live high risk, violent lives.
I think if men inherited genes from ancient ancestors that specifically coded for sexual arousal by female fighters, it would have been obvious throughout human history. Also, I know many guys here have fantasies about their women, including mothers, getting defeated. I don’t see how this fits natural selection.
So, I think to understand catfight fantasies, we have to learn more about very early sexual development. I suspect there is some truth to the childhood imprint theory, where an experience or image (pro wrestling, Raquel Welch cavewoman fight, etc.) during a sensitive period in brain development, makes a lasting impression in the sexual stimulation part of the brain and fully blooms during puberty. We really know little about sexuality. It’s an interesting topic and I could be persuaded to change my mind with new evidence.
You may enjoy this article about evolution of human mating by a social psychologist at Duke University.
https://www.wondriumdaily.com/mating-through-evolution-how-men-and-women-choose-partners/