Talking Points: Reversal of gender roles, binge drinking in Wisconsin

Have scientists cracked gender role reversal?

European scientists say they know why for some animal species it’s fathers rather than mothers that take care of their young — and it all comes down to numbers. The role reversal in species such as sea horses and some others has evolved because of an imbalance in the number of males relative to females, they said. In 1871, Charles Darwin observed that in most animals, it is the females that spend most time looking after the young while males focus on competing with each other for females. However, in some species — such as sea horses — the sex roles are reversed, with the females producing the eggs before leaving it to their male mates to rear their offspring.