MENS AND WOMENS PREFERENCES IN MARITAL PARTNERS IN THE UNITED-STATES,RUSSIA, AND JAPAN

In this investigation, data on young, single adults' preferences in ma rital partners were gathered from three very diverse cultures: the Uni ted States, Russia, and Japan. Based on evolutionary, social learning, historical, and cross-cultural perspectives, the authors hypothesized that in all three cultures they would find certain traditional gender differences. Men would care more than women about physical attractive ness, whereas women would care more than men about status (e.g., intel ligence; ambition; money, status, and position; potential for success) and personality attributes (e.g., kindness, understanding, expressive ness, openness). Women would be more ''choosy'' overall than would men . The authors also hypothesized that people from the United States (a Western individualist culture) would expect more from their relationsh ips than would those from Japan (an Eastern collectivist culture). Fin ally, the authors predicted that gender differences would be smallest in the United States and largest in Japan. They found strong support f or all but the last of these hypotheses and found weak support for tha t one.