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| Author(s): |
Lucila de Sousa Campos
Total Authors: 1
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| Document type: | Master's Dissertation |
| Press: | São Paulo. |
| Institution: | Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Psicologia (IP/SBD) |
| Defense date: | 2000-01-28 |
| Examining board members: |
Emma Otta;
Sandro Caramaschi;
Renato da Silva Queiroz
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| Advisor: | Emma Otta |
| Field of knowledge: | Humanities - Psychology |
| Indexed in: |
Banco de Dados Bibliográficos da USP-DEDALUS;
Index Psi Teses - IP/USP |
| Location: | Universidade de São Paulo. Biblioteca do Instituto de Psicologia; BF692.2; C198d |
| Abstract | |
During the courtship each individual evaluates the partne´s qualities and decides if the relationship will move to a stage of deeper involvement. The initial preference criteria found in personal advertisements are quite elaborated. That material has been attracting the attention of social cientists, psychologists and sociobiologists, on the premise that the used words reflect important dimensions as to gender differences. Our objective is to study sexual differences in mate selection criteria using the classiline section of the Folha de São Paulo as data base. The sample was constituted of 500 feminine annouhcements and 500 masculine, published between 1997 and 1999 which requested a long term relationship. The announcements were examined with relationship to the otfer and seek of psychological characteristics (such as atractiveness, sexuality, honesty, emotion, affiliation need. hobbies. instrumental attributes), social (such as financiai condition, and professional occupation), physics, demographics and to the number of answers obtained for each advertisement. Our results were evaluated with univariate (Qui square, t test and regression analysis) as well as multivariate (answer tree) analysis methods, indicating significant differences between the genders with regards to the criteria adopted in the mate selection process. As to resourse-related attributes, it was observed that men provided significantly more than women resource-associated attributes (professional occupation, financial resource), moral qualities snd physical infortnation like shape snd heiglrt than women, while they requested significantly more attributes like attractiveness, infonnation about weight and sexuality than did women. On the other hand, women provided significantly more information related to civil status, physical aspect, children\'s absence and religious behavior than did men and requested significantly more information on resource-related attributes (financiai resource, educational levei and professional occupation), civil status, moral qualities and religious behavior than did men. A univariate analysis of the number of answers obtained by men and women as a function of the various attnbutes offered indicated that men received significantly more answers associated to social attributes while women were benefiting in function of the characteristics related to attractiveness and physical features. Our results are in line with the model proposed by the Evolutionary Psychology as to mate selection criteria, according to whlch women value characteristics that indicate resource acquisition potential in the partner, while men value fertility cues. Those differences are expected in function of the m.inimum parenta! investment of each sex (9min x 9 months). Our results are also in harmony with the forecasts made by the social theories according to which differences in the criteria of partner´s selection are associated with differences in social roles. While women are seen as object of masculine appreciation, men represent the feminine possibility of social ascension. (AU) | |