Gender Differences In Mate Preferences

Introduction

Intimacy is considered as a basic human need, and in most societies, we form an intimate relationship with a long-term partner (e.g. Baumeister & Leary, 1995; Decy & Ryan, 1991). However, it seems like males and females have some different preferences when engaging in intimate relationships. From an evolutionary point-of-view, males will place a high value on women’s reproductive ability. Females tend to be at their most fertile in their early 20s, which may explain why males are attracted to younger females/youth (e.g. full lips, soft hair, smooth skin etc.) (e.g. Singh, 1993). For females in the evolutionary past, having a mate with high social status and resources would give a higher likelihood for offspring’s survival and wellness

In environments with a high prevalence of certain illnesses, both sexes see physical attractiveness more important, because it is presumed to be a cue of good health, both mentally and physically (Gangestad and Buss, 1993; Cunningham, 1986; Feingold, 1992; Grammer & Thornhill, 1994; Kalick, Zebrowitz, Langlois, & Johnson, 1998), and therefore may provide important information concerning what “genes” an individual would like to pass on to their children (Thornhill & Gangestad, 1993). Other factors having an impact on mate preferences are operational sex ratio (Stone, Shackelford & Buss, 2007), cultural norms surrounding premarital sex (Buss, 1989), menstrual cycle (Gangestad et al., 2007; Pollsworth, Haselton, and Buss, 2004; Puts, 2005), and age (Kenrick and Keefe,

Sociosexuality is a measure of mating strategies describing individual differences in sexual attitudes, beliefs and behaviours (Penke & Asendorpf, 2008; Simpson & Gangestad, 1991; Webster & Bryan, 2007). Some people are unrestricted in sociosexuality and are more willing to engage in short-term mating, and these people are more likely to value traits related to physical attractiveness more than people restricted in sociosexuality (Buss & Schmitt, 1992; Gangestad & Simpson, 2000; Jonason, Valentine & Li, 2012; Li & Kenrick, 2006; Simpson & Gangestad, 1992). Changes in mate preferences over time can provide information of changing values, as well as reflect cultural values (Lei, Wang, Shackelford & Buss, 2011; Kamble, Shackelford, Pham & Buss, 2014). How big gap there is between male and female preferences can also depend on the culture, and nations with greater levels of gender equality have smaller sex-differences (Eagly & Wood, 1999; Zentner & Mitura, 2012). However, that females prefer acquirement of resources more than males, are seen as universal across cultures (e.g. Badahdah & Tiemann, 2005; Buss, 1989; Khallad, 2005; Lei, Wang, Shackelford & Buss,