lec 23 In-Depth Notes on Female Long Term Mating Preferences

Overview of Female Long Term Mating Preferences

• This lecture explores how contextual variables influence female long term mating preferences.

• It delineates three main factors:

  • Personal resource status of women- how much money she has?

  • Influence of other women on preferences as other mate copying is a factor

  • Temporal context of mating decisions (long-term vs. short-term) The temporal context of women dating refers to how the timing, life stage, historical era, and social changes shape women’s dating behavior, preferences, and opportunities.

Contextual Variables Impacting Mating Preferences

• Adaptive Benefits: Mating preferences vary based on environmental context:

  • Example: In high-risk areas, a mate with greater strength or protective ability is more valuable than in low-risk environments.

• Expectation: If context affects trait value, there would be selective pressure for EPMs (evolved psychological mechanisms) to be responsive to these variations.

Personal Resource Status of Women

• Women with more resources may:

  • Depend less on mates for resource acquisition.

  • Show diminished importance placed on a mate's resources due to better self-sufficiency.

• Trade-offs in mate selection: Women may prioritize different attributes when resources are less critical.

• structural powerlessness Hypothesis: Women value resource acquisition in a mate not because of evolved preferences, but because they have historically had limited access to power, status, and economic resources due to social structures and gender inequality. Women's preference for resources may be contingent on their resource availability:

  • If structural inequalities in resource acquisition are mitigated, the preference for resource-rich mates may diminish.

Evidence from Empirical Research and. anecdotes evidence

• Observations of wealthy women (e.g., actresses like Elizabeth Taylor) indicate a trend toward marrying wealthy partners. she had 9 husbands. 8 were rich and famous.

• Study of college women earning >$50,000 showed:

  • The wealthier women reported stronger preferences for partner’s resources.

• Similar patterns observed in studies conducted across different cultures (e.g., Spanish, Middle Eastern).

• Additional studies suggest women with college majors leading to higher incomes emphasize resource attributes more in potential mates.

Evidence from Traditional Societies

• Example: The Bakweri women in East Africa:

  • These women are wealthier than local men but still prioritize resource-rich partners.

  • Patterns of divorce often cited as resource-driven, suggesting similar trends in traditional settings.

Reasons for Continued Preference for Resource Attributes

• Evolutionary context: Women’s preferences may derive from historical constraints where very few women had high resource status.

• Concept of relative wealth: High personal resource status may elevate mate value, prompting stronger preferences for resource attributes (as wealth correlates with increased mate value).

Influence of Other Women (Mate Copying)

• Female mating preferences may be influenced by the choices and preferences of other women.

• Mate copying: Women observing other women's preferences could streamline their own decision-making:

  • Saves evaluation time and leverages prior assessments of potential mates.

• Example: Black grouse behavior shows that choosing a mate significantly influences choices of others in close proximity.

Evidence in Humans

• Research indicates that men's attractiveness ratings increase when seen with other women: "when it rains, it pours”

• The attractiveness effect is amplified when the accompanying woman is viewed positively (e.g., attractive or engaged).

  picture rating- if you see a man alone in a picture vs. man with women pictures.

• picture rating 2- and if women and man look more engaged or if she is attractive.. it increases man’s attraction level.

• This suggests some level of mate copying in human mating behavior as well.

Temporal Context of Mating

• Differentiation between short-term and long-term mating preferences:

  • Short-term mating: Typically less emphasis on resources; attributes related to immediate appeal (e.g., looks) are more valued.

  • Long-term mating: Attributes related to stability, support, and resource-sharing are prioritized.

• 67 item Survey findings show women rated attributes like ambition and dependability, fond of children, understaning higher for long-term than for short-term mating. 3 to -3 rating.

• Specific studies like photo study had 5 pairs of photos of men accompanied with written descriptions and the women documented if they would choose them for short term mating or long term mating. that women overwhelmingly prefer dependable partners for long-term commitments but prioritize physical attractiveness for short-term liaisons.

Conclusion

• The lecture highlights that female long-term mating preferences are complex and influenced by multiple contextual variables:

  • Personal resource status, social dynamics with other women, and the temporal aspects of mating decisions shape individual preferences considerably.

• Understanding these dynamics is crucial for further insight into mating behaviors and societal implications.