Long term mating strategies in humans

What do females risk in relationships?

Females risk desertion

What do males risk in relationships?

Males risk cuckoldry

What are anti-desertion tactics?

1. Test for commitment

2. demand initial investment

What are anti-cuckoldry tactics?

1. mate guarding

2. male jealousy

3. patriarchal control of women and women’s sexuality

What did Buss study?

37 different cultures and around 16,000 subjects

Asked peoples preferences in a long term partner

What was women’s preference on age?

Women preferred older men - they have has longer to collect resources and income increases with age

What was women's preference for income?

Women across all continents prefer to marry a rich spouse

Men also prefer women to have high incomes but not as much

What is women’s preference for social status?

Women value social status in a sexual partner more than men

What are women’s personality preferences?

Women desire ambition and emotional stability

What is women’s preference for physical strength?

Women prefer tall, athletic and strong builds

Why do men form long term relationships?

Increases paternal certainty

Access to females

What is Bateman’s principle?

The sex which invests more in the offspring becomes a resource for which the other sex competes

What is men’s age preference in a long-term partner?

In every culture, men preferred wives who were younger than them - women’s reproductive quality declines as they get older

What is fertility?

Total lifetime production of offspring

What is fecundity?

Likelihood of reproducing now

Young women are fertile not fecund

What do men prefer physically in a long term partner?

Men desire physical attractiveness more than women

Do men prefere virginity in a long term partner?

Desire for virginity but future sexual fidelity rated highly