A Cross-Cultural Mate Selection Study of Chinese and U.S. Men and Women

Abstract

Using data on 333 never-married heterosexual Chinese adults and 339 never-married heterosexual U.S. adults, we tested a mate selection model with multiple-group structural equation modeling. Depicting mate selection as a contextual process, we first developed and then examined the fit of a model that includes multiple key variables—including culture, gender, age, external influences, self-appraisals, mate selection perceptions, and mate selection criteria. We report a number of differences between Chinese and U.S. males and females regarding their mate selection processes. We highlight the salience of using relative variables, latent variables, and contextual models in describing the mate selection process, and discuss the practical implications of the study’s findings for relationship education and family therapy.