[xiphias2]

There was never gender equality. We can have equal rights, but cannot be biologically equal. Hypergamy (1 highly selected male can reproduce with multiple females) is a big part of what makes having 2 sexes instead of 1 so successful in evolution.

[edmundsauto]

I believe the idea that females cannot mate with multiple males has been disproven in bonobos, where females often have many male partners. The story that gets told is this confuses paternity, which creates a broader safety net for resources for the baby.

So it might not be quite so simple as initially thought. Be wary of much of the evolutionary bio's attempts to explain why things are -- often, the proposed theories are one of many ways to explain the evidence. Little thought is given to the other options.

[xiphias2]

Even in Bonobos females are more selective than males. If you want hard data, it’s encoded in our gene mutations actually.

[edmundsauto]

Looking at gene mutations is looking at hard data and only seeing one piece of the puzzle. To go from mutations -> behavioral differences -> evolutionary bio explanation is not something we can do scientifically.