Kenrick Keefe:Age preferences in mates ●Youngest preferred 20 10 0 10 MALES AGE FEMALE'SAGE Figure 8.Actual age differences in 1,511 marriages on the 1 island of Poro(1913-1939),plotted according to husband's and 20 2s30s4050 2043040n503 wife's ages,respectively. MALE'S AGE FEMALE'S AGE Figure 7.Age preferences stated in Indian matrimonial advertisements. We also separately analyzed the 278 marriages re- corded between 1913 and 1920,to provide the most (4,106)=8.03,p<.001 for the minimum age prefer- historically distant test.The pattern was exactly the same ences,and an F(4,176)=2.51,p<.08 for the maximum for that earliest sample.As men aged,they showed a age preferences.Analyzed separately by gender,males' consistent increase in the tendency to marry relatively preferences changed significantly across decades for both younger women(F,5,278 =35.91,p<.001).Women minimum (F,3,57=28.89,p<.001)and maximum age married slightly older men at all ages(3.37 years,on preferences(F,3,96=12.65,p <.001).Females'age average),and there was no significant effect of the wom- preferences did not differ significantly across decades for an's decade ofage (F,5,278=1.47,p>.20).These data either minimum (F,2,46 =2.36,p>.10)or maximum argue strongly against the sociological explanation of age age preferences (F,2,83 =0.24,p >.78). discrepancies that attributes them to norms based in modern“cultural images”of“an advertising culture' (Neal,cited in Winegar 1989). 7.Study 5:Marriage ages on a small Philippine island,.1913-1939 8.Gender differences in economic resources As an additional test of the cross-cultural and cross- historical robustness of the age discrepancies in mate As we noted earlier,social psychological models some- choice,we examined marriage ages on the island of Poro times attribute the gender difference in emphasis on between the years 1913 (the earliest year for which youth and attractiveness to culturally bound differences records were available)and 1939.Poro is a small isolated in economic resources.As Margolin and White (1987) island in the Visayas region(approximately 500 kilo- note: meters southeast of Manila),with its own distinct dialect. One social norm clearly related to this asymmetry is the The natives of Poro had little contact with Europeans or long-standing tradition for beautiful women to trade Americans during the years studied.The economy was their looks for economic status in cross-gender rela- based on fishing and agriculture.Because ofthe relatively tionships....For centuries women have relied on the small size of the community,we were able to examine the commodity value of physical appearance to achieve total sample of marriages during these years(n =1511).4 upward mobility because,in comparison to men,they As in Studies 2 and 3,we analyzed the data using male age have had little else to bargain with(p.22). as the independent variable and the discrepancy between As we noted earlier,Rosenblatt(1974)speculated that his age and his wife's age as the dependent variable.We such gender differences would be less pronounced in then analyzed the data using the wife's age as the inde- societies in which women had more wealth and power.It pendent variable.Results are depicted in Figure 8. is also consistent with an evolutionary perspective that When analyzed using male age as the dependent vari- wealth might influence age preferences in a mate.As we able,the pattern was consistent with that found in the noted above,wealth can affect an individual's ability to studies discussed above-a consistent increase in age make indirect contributions to offspring survival.As dis- discrepancy as the male aged(F,5,1510 124.76,p< cussed below,it might also have an indirect influence on .001).Once again,the youngest males married women the aging process itself.Nevertheless,other research has close to their own age(0.69 years discrepancy for teens), indicated that traditional sex differences in mate prefer- whereas the oldest males married women much younger ence persist even with increases in social status and than them(20.75 years discrepancy for men in their 60s). wealth (Townsend 1989).That is,high status men con- Women's preferences also showed changes over the life- tinue to weight physical attractiveness more highly than span (F,5,1510=13.94,p<.001),but women at all ages do high status women,and high status women continue to married men slightly older,and the changes across de- weight status and wealth relatively more highly than do cades did not manifest the consistent downward trend high status men.Thus,high status American women and shown in the male data. men continue to demonstrate the same differences that BEHAVIORAL AND BRAIN SCIENCES (1992)15:1 83