CHAPTER 4
Women’s Long Term Mating Strategies
Theoretical Background
Parental Investment TheoryFemales are a valuable reproductive asset
Gametes Pregnancy Lactation Nurturing
How is sex more risky for women? Is this still true today?
Predictions From Parental Investment Theory
1. The more investing sex (females) will be more selective about mating than the less investing sex
2. The less investing sex (males) will be more competitive for sexual access to the high investing sex (females).
Problems Women Face
Selecting men who possess attributes that confer benefits
Avoiding men who possess liabilitiesDetecting deception in potential matesIntegrating various inputs into a weighted
decision about whether to accept or reject a potential mate
What Women Want in a Long term Mate: Resources
Resources- is he willing and able to invest? Financial prospects Status Age Ambition Dependable and stable
Protection
Athletic prowessHeightStrengthBuild
Health
Symmetry: developmental stability
Facial features; masculinity May signal healthier immune system
Bad Boy or Baby Face?
Love and Commitment
Expressions of commitmentFidelityResource sharingEmotional support
Willingness to Invest in Children
Men’s desire for sexual variety may lead them to channel resources elsewhere
Men withhold investment when they are less sure of paternity
Women prefer long term partners who show interest in childrenWomen can detect men’s interest in children by looking at their faces
Brief Summary- What do Women Want?
Character traits Signal ability and willingness to invest Signal ability to protect Signal long-term cooperation
Health Symmetry and masculinity may be cues to health Looks less important than character in long-term
mates
Similarity
Long-term relationships require long term cooperation
Similarity is important in Values Political orientation Worldview Intelligence Personality
Humor, Incest Avoidance, and Voice
Why do women like men who make them laugh?
Incest avoidance: both men and womenVoice: women prefer deeper voices, but more
for short-term mating
Context Effects on Mating Preferences: What About Women who Have Plenty of Resources Already?
Structural powerlessness hypothesis: Do women prefer resources simply because women lack power
Even in societies where women have power and resources, they still expect it from men
More successful women place a higher premium on resources
Menstrual Cycle Effects
Masculine features preferred more at fertile phase
Symmetry preferred more during fertile phase
Women change dress and behavior during fertile phase
Stripper study: strippers earn more tips during fertile phase
What About The Woman’s Mate Value?
Women who perceive themselves to be more attractive are more attracted to masculine features for long-term mating
Younger and more attractive women have more criteria for long-term mates
Examining Actual Behaviors
In personal advertisements, women respond more to Older men and taller men More educated men Men with higher incomes
Physical attractiveness of wife correlates with husband’s status
Women marry men who are on average about 3 years older
Men compete on the characteristics that women prefer, and deceive women on those characteristics
Exposure to attractive women causes men to value things that women prefer
The Problems with Decision Making
The evolution of love (Helen Fisher)testosterone- lustdopamine- romanceoxytocin-attachment
Sex and romance feed each other- both suppress critical areas of brain
General arousal can accelerate feelings of romantic attraction
Birth control pills may inhibit evaluation mechanisms early in a relationship