Partner Attributes Research Articles

Predictors of Fathers' Use of Parental Leave in Germany

The aim of this study is the identification of socio-economic and workplace-related predictors of the fathers' use of parental leave after the introduction of the Parental Allowance and Parental Leave Act in Germany in 2007. This reform implied a paradigm shift in German family policy and led to a sharp increase in the share of leave taken by fathers. Using the 2008 German Microcensus database, three logistic models are developed, including all fathers, working fathers, and fathers in dual-earner couples, respectively. The dependent variable distinguishes between fathers who were on parental leave at the time of the interview and those who were not. Many of each father's personal characteristics and workplace-related variables as well as some of his partner's attributes increase the odds of using parental leave significantly. Especially the female partner's full-time employment and income have a strong positive impact. Overall, the findings are in part consistent with existing empirical studies from Scandinavian countries and Germany under the former legislation.

Self-Defense and Legal Decision Making: The Role of Defendant and Victim Gender and Gender-Neutral Expert Testimony of the Battered Partner’s Syndrome

This study investigated the influence of defendant characteristics, expert testimony, self-defense elements, and battered partner attributes on conviction in a homicide trial. An online sample of 442 U.S. mock jurors evaluated a self-defense scenario, provided a verdict, and answered questions pertaining to defendant culpability, legal elements, and battered partner attributes. Results showed that heterosexual female defendants were most likely to meet legal requirements of self-defense. Female participants were more likely to believe that heterosexual female defendants exhibited attributes associated with the battered partner’s syndrome (i.e., suffered from abuse and learned helplessness). Male participants were less likely to believe that homosexual male defendants suffered from attributes associated with the syndrome. There were no effects of expert testimony on the battered partner’s syndrome. Logistic regression analysis indicated that self-defense legal elements and belief that the defendant should have left the abusive relationship predicted greater likelihood of conviction. Limitations and implications for jury selection and attorney arguments are discussed.

Association Between Young Womens Perceptions of Sexual Partners and Subsequent Pregnancy or STI Diagnosis

Purpose: Adolescent women's use of contraception or condoms with some but not all partners is common. Thus, some partners may be perceived to be less or more desirable as potential fathers, and some as less or more risky as potential STI transmitters. These perceptions are likely based in observable differences in partner attributes. We examined differences in women's perceptions of sexual partners associated with a pregnancy compared to sexual partners associated with an STI.

Planned Parenthood?

Most research on nonmarital births focuses on disadvantaged populations. This study examined the childbearing expectations and experiences of a working-class sample, drawing on in-depth interviews with 30 cohabiting couples. Few couples in the sample were attempting to conceive; most desired to defer parenting. Three responses emerged to how a pregnancy would be resolved. The largest group would be dismayed but would bear the child. A smaller set indicated that it would terminate a pregnancy. The third group disagreed on the outcome. Relationship context and partner attributes were key factors in fertility decisions. Couples who believed that they had a future together were most likely to agree that they would have the child, though not necessarily preceded by marriage; they were the most consistent users of contraception. Couples of the second and third groups (termination, nonconcurrence) were less regular or less effective contraceptors. Results are discussed in light of public policy interest in reducing nonmarital births.

Understanding Collaboration Outcomes From an Extended Resource-Based View Perspective: The Roles of Organizational Characteristics, Partner Attributes, and Network Structures†

Whereas mainstream strategy research tends to focus on atomistic and profit-seeking firms, this study focuses on not-for-profit organizations that participate in a collaboration network. Specifically, the authors extend the resource-based view by investigating how not-for-profit organizations' collaboration outcomes, reflected through a joint consideration of monetary and nonmonetary dimensions, may be affected by their organizational characteristics, partner attributes, and network structures. Their analyses of collaboration data from 52 not-for-profit networked organizations demonstrate the importance of unique resources at individual, dyadic, and network levels that allow these organizations to develop capabilities and competencies.

Contraceptive use patterns across teens' sexual relationships: the role of relationships, partners, and sexual histories.

By using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, we examine how adolescent relationship characteristics, partner attributes, and sexual relationship histories are associated with contraceptive use and consistency, incorporating random effects to control for respondent-level unobserved heterogeneity. Analyses show that teens' contraceptive use patterns vary across relationships. Teens with more-homogamous partners, with more-intimate relationships, and who communicate about contraception before sex have greater odds of contraceptive use and/or consistency. Teens in romantic relationships, and who are older when engaging in sex for the first time, have greater odds of ever using contraceptives but reduced odds of always using contraceptives. Teens continue habits from previous relationships: teens with experience practicing contraceptive consistency and females who previously have used hormonal contraceptive methods are better able to maintain consistency in subsequent relationships. Also, relationship and partner characteristics are less important for females who previously used hormonal methods.

When the glass is half‐empty: Framing effects and evaluations of a romantic partner's attributes

AbstractTwo studies examined how the framing of information influences evaluations of hypothetical relationships. Studies 1 (n= 183) and 2 (n= 247) examined how the framing of a hypothetical partner's attributes in gains or loss terms influences (a) impressions of the future success of the relationship and (b) the perceived importance of the partner's attributes. Generally, participants were less pessimistic about a relationship's future success when the partner's attributes were framed in gains terms than when framed in loss terms, even though the attributes were objectively identical in each case. Participants also attached significantly more importance to intelligence when it was missing among a partner's strengths than when it was present, particularly when the attribute was presented in a loss frame. This research has important implications for the integration of the decision‐making and relationship cognition literatures.

Minimum Mate Selection Standards as a Function of Perceived Mate Value, Relationship Context, and Gender

Abstract The present study explored minimum mate selection standards (i.e., the lowest levels of various characteristics that an individual must possess in order to be considered a potential partner) and the extent to which gender, self-perceived mate value, and relationship context moderate minimum standards. Men and women were more selective (expressed higher minimum standards) as the mating context shifted from short- to long-term, for a number of partner attributes. As expected, gender moderated these effects; women were more selective than men when considering a potential short-term (but not long-term) mate. Men's self-perceived mate value largely was unassociated with their selection standards; however, women's mate value correlated positively with their minimum criteria, across a variety of characteristics and for a short-term sex and a long-term romantic partner. As expected, gender differences in the strength of these correlations were greater in the short-term than in the long-term mating context.

Estimates of a hedonic ageing equation for partner search.

SUMMARYThis paper presents the first attempts by economists to estimate an equation of the demand curve for sexual relationship partner attributes. The focus is on the age of partner sought as the item demanded. A sample of newspaper ‘personal ads' is used to construct the demand curve. The estimates show clear evidence of age trade offs in partner search which vary by gender. There is evidence that financially constrained men will trade down in terms of market desirability, i.e., up in partner age, but also that women will offer to buy younger partners with financial signalling.ZUSAMMENFASSUNGDieser Artikel präsentiert die ersten Versuche von Ökonomen, eine Gleichung für die Nachfragekurve nach Eigenschaften von Partnern bei der Partnersuche zu schätzen. Das Hauptinteresse liegt dabei auf dem Alter des Partners. Eine Stichprobe aus Kontaktanzeigen in Tageszeitungen dient dazu, die Nachfragekurve zu konstruieren. Die Schätzungen zeigen deutlich, dass Altersunterschiede bei der Partnersuche kompensiert werden müssen. So wurden Beweise dafür gefunden, dass Männer mit beschränkter finanzieller Ausstattung vom Markt weniger nachgefragt werden, also nur altere Partner finden, und Frauen versuchen, jüngere Partner durch finanzielle Anreize zu kaufen.RÉSUMÉCet article nous présente les premières tentatives faites par les économistes afin d'évaluer la courbe de dernande portant sur les caractéristiques du partenaire sexuel. L'accent est mis sur l'ǎge du partenaire recherché comme étant le critère essentiel. C'est grǎce à un échantillon de ‘petites annonces' parues dans les journaux que la courbe a été tracée. Ainsi les hommes ayant des contraintes financières se montreront plus conciliants quant à l'ǎge. En d'autres termes, ils accepteront des partenaires plus ǎgées tandis que les femmes jouissant des moyens financiers se proposeront d'acheter des partenaires plus jeunes.

The distinctiveness of sexual motives in relation to sexual desire and desirable partner attributes

The distinctiveness of eight dispositional sexual motives and global sexual desire was examined to extend evidence concerning the construct validity of a multidimensional conceptualization of sexual motivation. Sexual motives were measured by the Affective and Motivational Orientation Related to Erotic Arousal Questionnaire (AMORE; Hill & Preston, 1996). As predicted, self‐reported arousal to scenarios describing eight motive‐relevant situations were correlated most strongly with the theoretically most relevant of the eight sexual motives. Although global sexual desire ratings were moderately correlated with responses to all eight sexual scenarios, the correlations were eliminated or substantially reduced when controlling for the theoretically most relevant sexual motive scores. Similarly, ratings of desirable partner attributes were more highly and consistently correlated with specific sexual motives than with global sexual desire. The results provide further evidence of the validity of the sexual motive construct and the AMORE instrument. The results also demonstrate the usefulness of focusing on specific aspects of sexual motivation as opposed to global sexual desire.

Sociosexuality and Romantic Partner Choice

ABSTRACT In three studies, we explored how individual differences in sociosexual orientation systematically relate to the types of attributes people prefer in romantic partners. In Investigation 1, individuals rated the importance of 15 partner attributes. Two factors emerged: personal/parenting qualities and attractiveness/social visibility. Individuals who possessed a restricted sociosexual orientation rated attributes that loaded highly on the former factor as being more important than those that loaded highly on the second one, whereas the reverse was true for unrestricted individuals. In Investigation 2, individuals evaluated two prospective romantic partners, one who was described as highly attractive and socially visible but less desirable in terms of personal/parenting qualities and one who had the opposite set of attributes. Unrestricted individuals tended to select the former partner, whereas restricted individuals chose the latter one. Investigation 3 examined the attributes actually possessed by their romantic partners. Unrestricted individuals were dating partners who were more socially visible and attractive, whereas restricted individuals were dating partners who were more responsible, faithful/loyal, and affectionate. Results are discussed in terms of an evolutionary model that links sociosexuality to mate selection.