Mate selection preferences

Gender differences examined in a national sample

Bibliographic Data

ID6206792
AuthorsSprecher (0000-0003-2940-4220, Illinois State University), Susan Sprecher, Quintin Sullivan, Quintin E Sullivan, Elaine Hatfield (0000-0002-9148-5845)
Year1994
Volume66
Issue6
Pages1074-1080
Publication date1994-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Personality and Social Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-3514 • E-ISSN: 1939-1315
PublisherAmerican Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1037//0022-3514.66.6.1074
PMID8046577
OpenAlexW2063007784
LanguageEN
Citations received215
References cited5

Social psychologists have devoted considerable theoretical and empirical attention to studying gender differences in traits desired in a mate. Most of the studies on mate preferences, however, have been conducted with small, nonrepresentative samples. In this study, we analyzed data collected from single adults in a national probability sample, the National Survey of Families and Households. Respondents were asked to consider 12 possible assets or liabilities in a marriage partner and to indicate their willingness to marry someone possessing each of these traits. These data extended previous research by comparing men's and women's mate preferences in a heterogeneous sample of the national population and by comparing gender differences in different sociodemographic groups. The gender differences found in this study were consistent with those secured in previous research (e.g., youth and physical attractiveness were found to be more important for men than for women; earning potential was found to be less important for men than for women) and were quite consistent across age groups and races. However, the various sociodemographic groups differed slightly in the magnitude of gender differences for some of the mate preferences.

Attractiveness · Developmental psychology · Mate choice · Mating · Physical attractiveness · Population · Sample (material · Selection (genetic algorithm) · Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification · Demography · Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation · Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior · Psychology · Social Psychology

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