Sex differences and mate preferences: Contributions and interactions of gender roles and socio-economic status

Abstract

Research has extensively considered the sex differences that arise in mate preferences; specifically, men desire the physical attractiveness of a mate more than women do, and women desire the status and resources of a mate more than men do. To date, these sex differences in mate preferences have been explained by appealing to evolutionary and social-economic theory origin theories. The aim of the current study was to examine sex differences in mate preferences in long term relationships by exploring independent factors of social-economic theory. Specifically, the current study sought to examine, for the first time, the combined effect of gender roles and individual socio-economic status on the characteristics men and women consider a necessity in a long term mate by employing a refined mate budget methodology. Participants (N = 854) were recruited from an Australian university campus and the wider community and completed an online study that measured their gender role and factors of SES, and required the design of a hypothetical long term mate. Results indicated interactions of SES and gender roles on characteristics women considered a necessity in a long term mate. Results of this study suggest that women’s mate preferences for a long term mate may have more interactive social influences than previously thought, and directions for future research to further explore these social elements are presented. Normal 0 false false false EN-AU X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:Table Normal; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Calibri,sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Times New Roman;}