Transcript Gender differences in mate selection

Gender differences in mate
selection
• What are men and women attracted to?
• (Campos, Otta & Siqueira, 2002) explored how men
and women responded to personal advertisements in
Brazil, also showing mate selection cross-culturally
• Campos, Otta & Siqueira, 2002 data source were
personal ads taken from a daily Brazilian newspaper
–807 advertisements were selected for analysis
(411 females, 396 males)
Jen Mislinski
Gender differences in mate
selection
• Campos, Otta, & Siqueira, 2002, found that:
– Younger women were preferred (by men) over older
women
• Younger = more fertile
– Older men were preferred (by women) over younger
men
• Older = more successful, more resources
Jen Mislinski
Gender differences in mate
selection
• Buunk, Dijkstra, Fetchenhauer,& Kenrick, 2002
explored mate preferences in 5 relationship situations
– Marriage, serious relationship, falling in love,
casual sex, and sexual fantasies
– 70 men, 67 women participated in the study
(ranging in age groups of 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60’s)
• Subjects were approached in public places and
asked to participate, then given questionnaires
Jen Mislinski
Gender differences in mate
selection
• Buunk, Dijkstra, Fetchenhauer,& Kenrick,
2002 found that:
– both sexes seek mates who are higher in “mate
value” then they are themselves
– a mate for a sexual fantasy (compared with real
mates) is usually more physically attractive
– men have a higher value placed on physical
characteristics, and women on mate status and
personality characteristics (similar to Campos,
Otta, and Siqueira, 2002 findings)
Jen Mislinski
Gender differences in mate
selection
• In a similar study, Todosijevic, Ljubinkovic, & Arancic,
2003 asked 127 Serbian college students to rate the
desirability of 60 behavioral and personality traits of
the opposite sex
– found that men reported that they were more ready to
tolerate traits such as fearfulness, self-pity, and
aggressiveness in women
– seriousness, independence, and enterprising were positively
rated by women (they would prefer men with these traits)
– traits having to do with physical appearance were highly
valued by men and traits having to do with strength were
highly valued by women
Jen Mislinski
Gender differences in mate
selection
• All three of these studies suggest that
evolutionary psychology may play a role in
mate selection between the sexes.
• Additionally, all three studies showed that
men and women prefer different things
– Men=attractive women who are fertile
– Women=strong men who are successful or have
resources
Jen Mislinski
References
• Buunk, B., Dijkstra, P., Fetchenhauer, D., & Kenrick, D. (2002).
Age and Gender Differences in Mate Selection Criteria for
Various Involvement Levels. Personal Relationships, 9, 271278. Retrieved April 26, 2011, from the Psych Info database.
• Campos, L., Otta, E., & Siqueira, J. (2002). Sex Differences in
Mate Selection Strategies: Content Analyses and Responses to
Advertisements in Brazil. Evolution and Human Behavior, 23,
395-406. Retrieved April 26, 2011, from the Psych Info
database.
• Todosijevic, B., Ljubinkovic, S., & Arancic, A. (2003). Mate
Selection Criteria: A Trait Desirability Assessment Study of Sex
Differences in Serbia. Evolutionary Psychology, 1, 116-126.
Retrieved April 26, 2011, from the Psych Info database.