Relational dominance and mate-selection criteria: evidence that males attend to female dominance

• Published in: Evolution and human behavior Vol. 25; no. 6; pp. 406 - 415
• Main Authors: Brown, Stephanie L, Lewis, Brian P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01-11-2004
• Subjects: Attractiveness; Dominance; Evolution; Fatherhood; Fathers; Females; Gender differentiation; Gender studies; Interpersonal attraction; Male-female relationships; Males; Mate Selection; Sex Differences
• ISSN: 1090-5138
• DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2004.08.003

The present study argues that pressures associated with the threat of paternal uncertainty shaped a male mate-preference for relatively subordinate partners in the context of long- (high investment) but not short-term (low investment) relationships. Using a hypothetical scenario depicting a workplace setting, 120 male & 208 female undergraduates were randomly assigned to one of six experimental conditions in which they were asked to judge a male or female target, described as either their supervisor (higher dominance), coworker (equal dominance), or their assistant (lower dominance). Participants exposed to an opposite-sex target rated their attraction to the target for varying types of investment (e.g., desire for a one-night stand, desire to affiliate, or desire for a long-term relationship), & participants exposed to a same-sex target rated their desire to affiliate with the target. Results supported predictions & indicated that males preferred the subordinate over the dominant target for affiliation & high-investment items, & females were unaffected by the target's dominance status. The results of same-sex ratings indicated that dominance status did not influence females' ratings of the female target, & that dominance did not influence males' ratings of the male target. These results are discussed in terms of the role of relational dominance in shaping male mate-preferences. 1 Table, 20 References. [Copyright 2004 Elsevier Inc.]