I prefer more passive women myself.
Posted on 12/21/2004 3:59:39 PM PST by beavus
ANN ARBOR, Mich.—Men are more likely to want to marry women who are their assistants at work rather than their colleagues or bosses, a University of Michigan study finds.
The study, published in the current issue of Evolution and Human Behavior, highlights the importance of relational dominance in mate selection and discusses the evolutionary utility of male concerns about mating with dominant females.
"These findings provide empirical support for the widespread belief that powerful women are at a disadvantage in the marriage market because men may prefer to marry less accomplished women," said Stephanie Brown, lead author of the study and a social psychologist at the U-M Institute for Social Research (ISR).
For the study, supported in part by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health, Brown and co-author Brian Lewis from UCLA tested 120 male and 208 female undergraduates by asking them to rate their attraction and desire to affiliate with a man and a woman they were said to know from work.
"Imagine that you have just taken a job and that Jennifer (or John) is your immediate supervisor (or your peer, or your assistant)," study participants were told as they were shown a photo of a male or a female.
After seeing the photo and hearing the description of the person's role at work in relation to their own, participants were asked to use a 9-point Likert scale (1 is not at all, 9 is very much) to rate the extent to which they would enjoy going to a party with Jennifer or John, exercising with the person, dating the person and marrying the person.
Brown and Lewis found that males, but not females, were most strongly attracted to subordinate partners for high-investment activities such as marriage and dating.
"Our results demonstrate that male preference for subordinate women increases as the investment in the relationship increases," Brown said. "This pattern is consistent with the possibility that there were reproductive advantages for males who preferred to form long-term relationships with relatively subordinate partners.
"Given that female infidelity is a severe reproductive threat to males only when investment is high, a preference for subordinate partners may provide adaptive benefits to males in the context of only long-term, investing relationships---not one-night stands."
According to Brown, who is affiliated with the ISR Evolution and Human Adaptation Program, the current findings are consistent with earlier research showing that expressions of vulnerability enhance female attractiveness. "Our results also provide further explanation for why males might attend to dominance-linked characteristics of women such as relative age or income, and why adult males typically prefer partners who are younger and make less money."
For more information on the ISR Evolution and Human Adaptation Program, visit: http://rcgd.isr.umich.edu/ehap/
LOL! Broke one of my heels running to the fridge for the beer.
Put on your more managable 5" heels and this time walk back slowly with that beer...
And don't forget to give me a good look as you clean up that mess (burp) ;-)
Okay sweetie, but I just noticed there's a new Mark Steyn thread up, and I was thinking...maybe...we'd get some FReep tonight.
I'll stay up a bit longer and settle for surfing for Helen Thomas threads and pics -- happy now??
Helen Thomas threads...ROFL! Just remember how to spell her name when you do the search, okay? If you can't find it under SEAHAG or SQUASHFACE, I'm sure you'll find one with her under ZETA-JONES.
njwoman, you are seriously starting to intrigue me.
I used to have no problem with a woman making more money than I, and having parity -- or even control -- in the household.
I now will prefer a women who makes less and who is willing to defer to my decisions. I will also be the financial 'comptroller' of the house, although I would want her to be deeply involved in those decisions as well.
Although I have been trained all my life to (erroneously) believe that this is a chauvenistic view, it turns out the ancients were correct: The man is the head of the household.
I have finally stepped forward and become a man.
Margaret Mead found the same thing decades ago. In her study, the subjects were natives of New Guinea.
Nothing like some liberal academic to warm over old ideas and call them an intellectual breakthrough.
Try doing a real lit search next time, ya schmuck.
The same can be said about the man -- maybe even more so.
I know. I was the weak man in the relationship.
And there was a reason. And it wasn't pretty.
I 'handled' the issue. Now, I seek more traditional roles: The man as head of the household, and the woman as his full partner who defers to his judgement on the close calls.
I have finally stepped forward and become a man.
I haven't been in the Christmas spirit this year, but reading your post was an unexpected gift, Laz. Thanks! (I'm proud of you.)
Hillary's already taken, PD.
That puts less accomplished guys like myself at a distinct disadvantage. I'm not rolling in money, yet I'm not awash in credit card or check debt either.
Simple fix: Listen to a ton of Christmas music. I downloaded all the old classics -- Burl Ives, Doris Day, Dean Martin, the Charlie Brown Christmas music -- and my spirit cup runneth over. Coupled with that, and taking the time to really enjoy all the trappings, and to be with dear friends, I haven't had this nice a Christmas in about ten years.
but reading your post was an unexpected gift, Laz. Thanks! (I'm proud of you.)
Thanks!
A blessed Christmas season to you.
Are you suggesting that a woman is incapable of making rational decisions and hence, should "defer" the decisions to a man?
In all seriousness, men want to date/marry subordinate women because of control.
Nope! Not control. Order. It's the way marriage was created. Husband subordinate to God. Wife subordinate to Husband. You know, biblical stuff......
This thread should be fun.
I am reminded of the story of the man who dated 3 women. One was a typist, one a middle manager, and one was a CEO. Which did he decide to marry?
The hot one with big t*ts
Dollars to donuts the boy's an engineer. I remember when I had to take humanities courses in order to graduate.... I'd forgotten how distracting a room full of pretty girls could be.
This study is BS... First of all, if you are smart, you don't diddle where you work, secondly, if you do diddle where you work, as any breating person knows don't diddle with folks who hold your future livelihood in their hands.
You break up with a supervisor and you can kiss your promotions goodbye. A woman can always cry harrassment and everyone will pretty much believe her, a guy does that and he's labeled a sissy and run out of town.
This study noted an action, and then supositioned the reason... when in fact the reason could have nothing to do with what they assumed.
I am suggesting that a woman is absolutely capable of making rational decisions, yet might still choose to defer the decisions to the man (at least on those that are close calls).
It is merely my view and it is my desired path. You need not agree or be a part of it.
In any event, please have a wonderful and delight-filled Christmas.
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