Psychology, 5/e   Wortman, Loftus & Weaver
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Psychology Around the Globe

Culture and Marriage Partners

How do we choose our mates? Some psychologists say that biology makes men prefer young women who can reproduce, while women pick men who will help them gain wealth and raise children. On the other hand, social learning theorists claim that people pick spouses on the basis of costs and benefits. In societies in which women have low social status, little education, and are paid less than men, women are forced to look for men who will support them. In societies in which women and men are equal, they argue, both genders will have similar preferences.

Hatfield and Sprecher (1995) tested this idea by asking college students in the United States, Russia, and Japan to rate which characteristics are important in a mate. They found that across all three cultures, men rated physical attractiveness higher than women did, while women rated traits like potential for success and kindness as more important than men did, supporting the biologists’ view. However, the gap between men’s and women’s ratings was much larger for Japanese students than either Russians or Americans, possibly because Japanese women are strongly discouraged from working after marriage and must depend on their husbands. As with most behaviors, both biology and culture have a role in selecting a spouse.

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