Who has never asked themselves what the most important criterion in a partner is from a female and male perspective? Scientists conducted the research for us and one thing is certain: women and men are not looking for the same thing. Even if the requirements evolve over time and in the end everyone agrees, says an article by The Guardian.
This is shown by a study published in the journal Plos One, which was carried out among more than 7,000 Australian users of dating sites aged 16 to 65. As part of this work, a research team asked participants to rate the importance of nine characteristics in a potential partner on a scale of 0 to 100: age, attractiveness, body type, intelligence, education, income, trust, openness and emotional connection.
Men aged 18 to 25 mostly responded that they placed more value on attractiveness and physical appearance, in contrast to women who placed more value on confidence, emotional connection, age, education and “intelligence.” However, with increasing age, physical criteria become less important for men, who are even more likely than women to be attracted by personality over the age of 60.
Are women more choosy than men?
“(Older respondents) place less emphasis on aesthetics and more on personality, so perhaps there is something to be said for the wisdom of age.” interprets the study's lead author, Stephen Whyte, and claims that the individual's needs perfectly match their age-related lifestyle choices.
For the researcher from the Queensland University of Technology, the differences in criteria between women and men can be explained by the evolutionary psychology theory called parental investment. According to him, women are more selective when choosing a partner because they invest more in the survival of their offspring. However, this theory is criticized by other researchers as it would contribute to one “persistent sexism” states the British daily newspaper.
However, Stephen Whyte states that the results come from users of dating sites and are therefore not fully representative of society. Brendan Zietsch from the University of Queensland adds in an interview with The Guardian that several previous studies have shown that what people say they want from a partner doesn't always match the choices they make in reality.