Developmental life history transitions can be shaped by structural inequities: Insights from the sociology of race

Abstract

Life history emerges as developmental processes play out over the lifespan of an organism, and the concept of life history intersects with evolutionary biology, ecology, demographics and sociology. Here, we briefly outline the interdisciplinary concept of life history, surveying some of the diversity in life history transitions across animal species, and exploring these transitions as genetically and hormonally-regulated developmental processes. We review some of the data suggesting that social structures are capable of shifting the timing of human life history transitions, with implications for lifetime health outcomes. Social and structural inequity in contemporary society tends to accelerate developmental life history processes, which can create temporal and physiological pressures that intersect with and amplify disadvantage. Focusing specifically on the experiences of Black women in the U.S., we examine the impacts of inequity on the timing of four developmental life history transitions: birth, puberty, first reproduction and menopause. We identify some of the important overlaps between developmental biology, sociology and public health, arguing that these disciplinary intersections can be introduced in many developmental biology classrooms. We propose some pedagogical frameworks designed to help students grow an awareness of how developmental processes can be affected by social inequities, with the ultimate goal of stimulating more cross-disciplinary conversations about life histories and their intersections with social structures.