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/
There is no arguing that it is a media and socialist construct that 'strong' women are feminists and that by adopting the (sick) ideas of feminism a woman can, herself, become strong and confident.
I believe that those 'strong' and 'confident' women trying to play in the corporate kiddie pool are, in fact, the weak ones. They are too weak to stand up to the media and socialist construct.
I believe it takes a woman of far sterner moral character and strength to adopt the time-tested and honorable role as wife and mother rather than chase the worthless brass ring of 'succeeding in business'.
I think that nowadays, it takes a lot of strength and character for a woman to say:
"Screw the corporate rat-race, screw the academic kiddie pool: I like strong men, I wanna be a wife and mother instead of some kind of odd corporate eunuch...."
Does that 'splain it better?
"Then the only thing that a successful attractive woman can do is to search for a male that is even more successful (and probably by a lot)?"
Yup. And that's all those women will accept anyway. Guys like me search for lesser women because of the incredible stress that a high achieving woman can create.
I agree, even after first dates where it becomes painfully apparent that all the two of you have in common is being warmblooded mammals; a woman should be kind and gracefully decline any further dates.
BUT the guy is also obligated not to act amazed and say "But, but, you are alone! (Translation you should be grateful for any male attention) And we got along OK! Why don't you wanna go out again!!?" (I have come to realize that the male translation of "soul mate" is "A breathing non-bagger with 38 DD's")
~~sigh~~
So I usually just smile sweetly and say "I guess it's the dementia from the schizo-affective disorder kickin'in. Now where did I put my ax?"
Big breasts annoy me.
How does a high achieving woman create incredible stress?
I knew there was a reason I got on your nerves ;)
THAT'S IT!!!!!
Thanks for the laugh!
Merry Christmas Sweet Cheeks :)
:^*
Who wants to marry a girl like that?
Because they are constantly questioning you, hoping you say something they can become offended by. ;^)
So many women here aren't all that attractive. It may be the style of their clothing or hairdo, but there don't seem to be many knockout babes that I've seen anyway.
Gee, I graduated from business school (a LOOOONNNNNGGGG time ago!) but I didn't see a lot of hot chicks there either.
Yep, it even sounds scriptural sort of.
Domination is a core motivator that is only tempered by love or sickness.
And you can love domination.
Simple: Any high achievement includes stress or else everyone would do it.
There is no question that women cannot compartmentalize her feelings and emotions as well as a man does.
They invariably start treating their husband as another competitor to be defeated and even the smallest decision becomes a battle of wills that she cannot afford to lose.
Besides, having a high achieving woman in the house means most of one of your salaries is going to go for daycare so that strangers raise her kids while she is out achieving something worthless in comparison....
Now that is an excellent insight....
I am not sure what you could find so sickening about strong women. I also do not discern anything amiss with women's willingness to succeed in business.
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