Previous research has provided evidence that females are generally the more
selective sex in humans. Moreover, both sexes have been found to be more
selective in long-term mating compared to short-term mating. In this study, we
have examined the effects of sex, mating strategy (preferred relationship
length) and their interaction on mate preferences (i.e., mate selection
criteria) in an egalitarian Nordic society, namely Norway. The study sample
consisted of 1,000 individuals, 417 of whom were male and 583 female
respondents. According to our findings, men were more selective in physical
appearance, whereas women were more selective in all the other mate preferences
(e.g., understanding, dominant, kind, intellectual etc.). The respondents that
were seeking short-term relationships had higher preference for physical
appearance, humorousness and sociability. On the other hand, the respondents
that were seeking long-term relationships were more selective in most of the
other mate preferences (i.e., understanding, kind, cultivated, domestic,
reliable, and similar). Interestingly, no interaction effect was found between
sex and mating strategy in that differences between long-term and short-term
seekers in mate preferences did not change depending on sex. This suggests that
men and women value the same traits in short-term relationships.