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/
This thread is so funny. Just who *are* these women who go around looking for a rich guy to marry? I suppose if you come from a welfare environment or a 3rd world country then "marrying money" is the only option. Thank heavens most of us have other options.
Your question was based on your statement that I am COLD. Since the statement is incorrect, any subsequent questions about this statement would not render any meaningful responses.
However, my questions directly addressed the statements that you made:
Do you propose that you are aware of what successful women want since you stated that they "lie to themselves about what they truly want?". Since you are stipulating that successful women lie to themselves, what is it that they lie about?
I still don't get the feeling of envy that you seem to want to incite.
My reference to the photograph was not an attempt to incite an envy, but to defy your previous statement “women who are not that good looking will strive to achieve in the business world”.
I'm not a 'hot babe' like you, but I'm confident of my appearance and my accomplishments in the 'business world'. I'm secure in 'who I am' even.
I applaud you for your confidence and security. I wish I could observe more women that are confident and secure.
Your insinuation by putting 'business world' in quotes is ambiguous to me. Would you care to elaborate on this?
In regards to “No wimpy 'nice guys' need 'apply', however”, most certainly this is your preference, although you may be hastily associating nice guys with wimps.
Your options:
1) Marry a successful guy, have kids, be a wife and mom.
2) Get a degree and a high-pressure career, have kids, be a career woman send kids to daycare be an 'equal partner'.
3) Get a crappy job, send kids to daycare, scream at unsuccessful hubby, be a single mom.
4) Forget daddy, have kids from a sperm donor, get a job, send them to day care, be proud of your 'options'
5) Embrace the Love That Dare Not Speak its Name, get partner to get pregnant from a turkey baster, make her the wife and mom, be out and proud.
6) Spinsterhood, be proud of your 15 cats.
Choose wisely.
Women that cannot or are not willing to try to make it on their own for various reasons.
Thank heavens most of us have other options.
Exactly, such as marrying a man that makes you happy regardless of his bank account.
Seriously, we subservient meek/sweet housewives are not the ogres, OK!
I've seen plenty of A type professional women (in my own circle) who are 'sooo not in touch'... with their hubbies.... cause their hubbies are not meeting their expectations of sometimes impossible standards.----With these women, it's their way or the highway.
And the hubby/wifey live almost separate lives.....
Is this what you guys want?
I have a friend, actually an acquaintance, who will only go out with guys who have a lot of money and are young and good looking. Her pool of guys is shrinking rapidly as she gets older. Unfortunately values and integrity aren't in her equation. She definitely was looking to marry someone to support her. She came from a very poor background.
Daunting, indeed. But it's worth the effort, as all the stuff that's been the meat of this thread just fade from prominence in the relationship.
The "women I hang out with" has absolutley nothing to do with my theory; it appears to be a feeble attempt at a personal insult. Personal insults are the weakest form of defense, when debating; they say more about you than they do about me. Just as a FYI, I'm happily married and am a proud grandparent. My theory is hardly unique; it's based upon observation.
Consider, from the primal point of view; a woman seeks to provide safety and security for her and her children. A wealthy husband will do that. C'mon; what is the FIRST question a woman asks another about thier husband/fiance'/boyfriend? (hint: What does he do?)
What is blazes does this have to do with anything? Does this woman have tips on plumbing she wants to pass along? Perhaps she knows of carpentry tool sales? No, she is 'fishing' to gain an idea of how much that man makes; so she can compare her relative looks to her mate (or potential mate's) income.
On the flip side; why do men keep pictures of their mates displayed upon their desk? It is ENTIRELY because they are so lovesick that they can't bear going 8+ hours a day without seeing their mate? Or is it a 'trophy'?
These theories are not the same thing as 'laws'; they are observed patterns of behavior.
From your previous posts:
278: "The only thing that is annoying at times is that a lot of males (not all) are intimidated by strong, confident, and successful women."
283: "No. I dissented to the statement which stipulated that women defer the decisions to males every time a decision is a close call."
When you come to Free Republic and start speaking the language of leftist feminism with excessively legalistic phrasing, the accusations of coldness follow as a matter of course. That, plus the repeated posts calling attention to your supposed photograph (with no accompanying biographical information), is why I now think you are a troll. But a subtle one - much more clever than the usual "I hate Bush" crowd.
I hope you're getting good material for your graduate thesis on "Male Attitudes Toward Successful Women" from this thread. ;)
Hodar - no insult was intended. I suspect that there are some subgroups who are more interested in marrying money than others. I also suspect it depends a lot on age. I know many ladies for whom money is not an issue. I also know a few men - mostly older - who will date only women with money. Money is just not an issue for some people. Maybe it's just the small sub-group that I hang out with! The latter comment is NOT an attempt at self-insult. LOL
There is no connection between my previous posts and accusations of being cold as much as you maybe would like to establish one. The suggestion that one can describe a person as being “cold” or “warm” by a writing style in the debates has no credibility. You may be surprised, but there are strong, confident, and successful women that are affiliated with the Republican party.
That, plus the repeated posts calling attention to your supposed photograph (with no accompanying biographical information)
My previous postings implied that I am in business and therefore the statement was intended to defy the previous statement of “women who are not that good looking will strive to achieve in the business world”.
I hope you're getting good material for your graduate thesis on "Male Attitudes Toward Successful Women" from this thread. ;)
I already completed my graduate studies :-)
Demand a refund!
:-)
Exactly. If that is someone's primary consideration, I believe that there are easier ways to earn a living. Money has never been a primary consideration for me. However, my BF does make more money than me, and that does make for an easier time - I don't need to worry about him being bothered by money. Fortunes and incomes come and go. Women make a mistake by being too concerned about 'success'.
"Does this mean that the gene pool of "powerful women" will one day be depleted due to a lack of compliant men?"
Not at all, as long as kerries are around.
Anything that rare is bound to be sought after.
"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)?"
Or a kerry.
Is there a website for this kind of thing? If she would respect me I would love her.
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