and nurture their sons and daughters as well as in their ability to transfer sta-
tus or power to their children. Evolutionary personality psychologists argue
that women prefer partners who possess these abilities.
Again, some research supports this speculation. When investigators asked
married couples to describe what they found attractive in their spouse,women were more likely to identify such characteristics as dependable, good
earning capacity, ambitious ,a n d career-oriented (Buss & Barnes, 1986). Other
investigations find women are more interested in locating a partner high in so-cioeconomic status and ambitiousness (Ben Hamida, Mineka, & Bailey, 1998;Feingold, 1992). However, no gender difference is found for characteristics
unrelated to parental investment, suc h as sense of humor (Feingold, 1992). In
another study, more women than men said they would be upset if their partner
was unable to hold a good job (Cramer et al., 2000). When forced to make
choices about hypothetical romantic partners, women in one study were more
willing to give up physical attractiveness in their partner than high status and
resources (Fletcher, Tither, O ’Loughlin, Friesen, & Overall, 2004).
Other research suggests that men are aware of these preferences and, like
women, compete among themselves for the most desirable partner. Newlywedhusbands in one study were more likely than their spouses to say they bragged
about their financial resources as a way to catch their future wives ’attention
(Buss, 1988). In other words, the men let it be known that they made a lot of
money or went out of their way to show off a new car or condominium.
Similarly, men are more likely than women to display their material resources
when trying to retain a partner ’s affection (Buss & Shackelford, 1997).Evolutionary Personality Theory and Mate Selection 269
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