Potential-partnership networks and the dynamical structure of monogamous populations

Abstract

We introduce a model for the social structure of a two-sex population whose members form heterosexual couples with at most one partner at a time. Individuals can as well remain temporarily single. Partnership is decided on the basis of personal preferences, where members of the opposite sex are ranked according to the predilection of each individual. We distinguish between the network of potential partnership - which is defined by an acceptance threshold in the individual preferences - and the network of realized partnership - which results from dynamical rules for couple breaking and formation. The structural properties of the potential-partnership network are studied, and realized partnership is characterized in terms of the distribution of couple durations.