It is commonly expected that natural selection will favor earlier reproduction, yet ecological constraints can force people to delay marriage. Furthermore, humans demonstrate sex-specific preferences in marriage partners - with grooms normally a few years older than their brides; however, the age at which individuals marry can influence the spousal age gap. We investigate factors influencing age at first marriage and age difference at marriage using nineteenth-century historical demographic data from Baja California Sur, Mexico. Analyses suggest ecological constraints affected male, but not female, age at first marriage. Males who migrated from their natal community and who married in communities whose primary economic activity was agriculture experienced delayed age at first marriage. The age at which females first married increased over time causing a reduction in the age gap between spouses. Furthermore, the spousal age gap showed sex-specific effects: women who married early in life were much younger than their husbands, while women who married late in life were older than their husbands, suggesting that variation in female reproductive value influenced mate choice. Males, on the other hand, who married late in life showed a preference for marrying much younger females, indicating preferences for females with high reproductive value.

中文翻译：

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下加利福尼亚州旧州的婚姻动态：干旱半岛边境的生态约束和生殖价值。

通常认为，自然选择将有利于较早的繁殖，但生态方面的限制会迫使人们推迟婚姻。此外，人类在婚姻伴侣中表现出对性别的偏爱-新郎通常比新娘大几岁；但是，个人结婚的年龄会影响配偶之间的年龄差距。我们使用来自墨西哥下加利福尼亚州的19世纪历史人口统计学数据调查影响初婚年龄和结婚年龄差异的因素。分析表明，生态约束影响的是初婚时的男性，而不是女性。从出生地移居并在以农业为主要经济活动的社区结婚的男性，初婚年龄有所延迟。女性首次结婚的年龄随着时间的推移而增加，导致配偶之间的年龄差距缩小。此外，配偶之间的年龄差异显示出性别特异的影响：早婚的妇女比丈夫年轻得多，而晚婚的妇女比丈夫大，表明女性生殖价值的变化会影响伴侣的选择。另一方面，结婚较晚的男性表现出对嫁给年轻得多的女性的偏爱，这表明偏爱具有高生殖价值的女性。提示女性生殖价值的变化会影响伴侣的选择。另一方面，结婚较晚的男性表现出对嫁给年轻得多的女性的偏爱，这表明偏爱具有高生殖价值的女性。提示女性生殖价值的变化会影响伴侣的选择。另一方面，结婚较晚的男性表现出对嫁给年轻得多的女性的偏爱，这表明偏爱具有高生殖价值的女性。