Study Confirms: When it Comes to Choosing a Partner, Women and Men Value Different Qualities

There are a lot of stereotypes about how men and women seek out different qualities in a mate. But researchers from the University of Texas say they now have a clearer picture of just how different the preferences of men and women are.

As part of the study, researchers asked people (all of whom identify as heterosexual) what they find desirable in a partner. Judging from their answers, researchers were able to guess with 92 percent accuracy whether the respondent was male or female.

“The patterns in the sexes barely overlap at all,” says Dan Conroy-Beam, a UT grad student and lead author of the study. Conroy-Beam says women tend to prefer a partner who is more financially established and older, while men place a premium on physical attractiveness and youth. That, he says, tells us when the sexes are going out and looking for a mate, they’re looking for something completely different.

Sure, it all plays pretty well into existing stereotypes, and may not seem like a watershed moment for understanding relationships at face value. But Conroy-Beam says it’s striking that many of these preferences held true regardless of the cultural background of the respondent. Theoretically, it demonstrates that the preferences are “cross-culturally universal.”

Read more: http://kut.org/post/study-confirms-when-it-comes-choosing-partner-women-and-men-value-different-qualities