Sperm donor selection and the psychology of female mate choice

Abstract

Women's preferences for hypothetical sperm donors were compared to preferences for long-term mates (Experiment 1) and to those for long-term mates and extra-pair copulatory (EPC) partners (Experiment 2). In Experiment 1, attributes believed likely to affect a resultant child were significantly more important in a donor than in a long-term mate. “Character,” which was the most important factor in a mate, was the second most important factor after “health” in a donor, despite the belief that character had little likelihood of affecting a resultant child. These results suggest that women were partly relying on the psychology used to choose a long-term mate when they assessed attributes in a sperm donor. An additional construct (“resource potential”) was introduced in Experiment 2, as well as an additional test condition (EPC). As with character, resource potential was believed to have little likelihood of affecting a resultant child, yet it was rated as moderately important to have in a donor, further supporting the hypothesis that women were partly relying on a mate choice psychology. Results did not provide support for the existence of an EPC psychology distinct from that used to select a long-term mate.