Page "David Buss" Paragraph 11

Buss has conducted numerous studies comparing the mate preferences of individuals by factors such as gender, time, parents vs. offspring, and type of relationship ; he has also conducted a large study investigating universal mate preferences.

Using a sample from China, Chang, Wang, Shackelford, and Buss, discovered that men more than women tend to prefer traits related to fertility, such as youth and physical attractiveness.

Men also desired traits that could be seen as feminine stereotypes, including good housekeeper.

A similar study conducted in the U. S. by Perilloux, Fleischman, and Buss revealed the same with the addition of health, easygoing, and creative / artistic.

Women, however, favor traits related to resources, such as good earning capacity, social status, education and intelligence, and ambition and industriousness.

Woman also favor, more than men, the traits kind and understanding, sociability, dependability, emotional stability, and an exciting personality.

Parents of sons similarly ranked physical attractiveness at higher importance than parents of daughters, and parents of daughters ranked good earning capacity and education at higher importance.

Overall, these sex differences in mate preferences appear to reflect gender stereotypes as well as theories of evolutionary psychology, which state that men will prefer fertility to pass on their genes, while women will prefer resources to provide for a family.