Differences Between Males and Females in Educational

Preferences in Human Mate Choice

Grifin BergeEdgewood College Biological Department, Madison, WI, March 2013

Abstract. This study tested the hypothesis that there is a difference between males and females in the preference of mate educational background. We collected data from 40 participants on Match.com® to determine if there is a difference between males and females in the preference of their mate’s educational background? The participants were (20 male/20 female) 30-40 years old, lived in the state of Wisconsin and had a bachelor’s degree. We found a significant difference between both sexes when it came to the preference of their mate’s education. Females preferred males with a higher education than themselves, while males preferred females with a lesser education than themselves. This is parallel to previous research which has indicated that females seek out mates with greater power and resources. We conclude that females prefer a male with higher education than themselves because this is indicative of the male’s greater fitness and investment in offspring. It is also probable that males tended to not have as much preference in mate education because it offered a greater chance of finding a mate.

Introduction__________________________________________________________________________

There has been an increase in curiosity in the topic of human mate choice recently for researchers in

the fields of evolutionary biology and psychology (Buston, 2003). Much of the research is focused upon

differences between males and females when considering mate choice. So, we might ask why there is a

difference between males and females in mate choice. Don’t all humans have the same instinctual

preferences when choosing a mate?

Based upon the sexual selection theory, males tend to be more competitive between one another when

finding mates, while females tend to be choosier when finding their mate (Trivers, 1972). Sexual

selection theory and the parental investment theory seem to be interrelated. In the parental investment

theory, it is noted that females have a limited number of eggs she can fertilize given her actual limited

number of eggs, while males can fertilize more eggs than a female can produce. A male can fertilize one

female, and still has the ability to fertilize another female while the first female is in pregnancy. Because

of this reproductive difference, females and males have evolved differently in their mate choice

preferences. Females tend to look for males who can offer resources and care for their offspring, while

males tend to look for more females in general (Buston, 2003). This, in turn, ties back to the theory of

sexual selection in which females must be choosier to find the mate that can offer the most, while the

male must compete with other males to get more females.

In today’s western society, education is an important factor in the lives of many people, and when it

comes to choosing a mate, education also becomes an important attribute in that mate. This study focuses

on educational preference when considering a mate. We wondered whether there is a difference between

males and females in their educational preference in their mate choice. In one study, it is stated that

women may be viewed as “objects of exchange.” Because of this, women tend to seek men with more

power and/or higher education so to help their own personal advancement in society (Buss, 1986). We

collected data from males and females on Match.com® who claimed to have a bachelor’s degree. Then,

we looked at their preference in a mate in terms of what educational background they required. We

hypothesize that there is a difference between males and females in the preference of mate educational

background. We predict to see data which suggests that females prefer males with a greater educational

background then themselves, and males who prefer females with a lesser educational background then

themselves.

Methods_____________________________________________________________________________

We gathered information from males and females (heterosexual) with Match.com® accounts in the

State of Wisconsin in March, 2013. Each of the individuals (20 male, 20 female) were chosen at random

to avoid any biases; however, since this study focused on educational preferences, we selected only those

individuals who had a bachelor’s degree. It did not matter what type of degree it was, just that the

individual had a bachelor’s.

The selected individuals from the Match.com® website were also selected for only in the age group of

30-40 years old. We thought this was a proper age group to have at least the minimum degree

requirement, and also who were potentially serious about finding a mate. We decided to select

individuals living within the entire state of Wisconsin, so that we could get a collective average survey of

people who may live in a large city or rural town. We also did not select individuals (whether male or

female) who did not select a preference for education in their mate choice. In other words, if a male with

a bachelor’s degree wrote in his profile that he had “no preference” for the education of his mate choice,

then we did not use him in our study. This ideally would keep our study more precise.

When looking at the educational preferences in each individuals mate choices, we recorded the degree

or degree range which they preferred and scored it. The scoring of the degree preference can be seen in

below (table 1). If the individual preferred a mate with any degree within a range, than we added the

score values of the degrees and averaged them. For example, if an individual preferred their mate to have

anywhere from a bachelor’s to Ph.D. degree, the score value given for that individual was 5 ((4+5+6)/3 =

5). If the individual preferred their mate to have only a high school diploma, they were scored a 1.

Table 1. Score value of the preference in the mate’s educational background. For example,

those individuals who preferred that their mate had a bachelor’s degree received a score value of 4.

Our question in this study of human mate choice asked whether there is a difference between males

and females in the preferred educational background when selecting a mate. We tested the hypothesis that

there is a difference between males and females in educational preference in their mate choice. We

predicted that females prefer males with a greater educational background than themselves, while males

prefer females with a lesser educational background than themselves. We used Chi Square and Fisher’s

Exact statistical testing to determine if there was a noticeable difference between males and females in

educational preference in mate choice.

Results______________________________________________________________________________

This study included 40 total Match.com® members ranging in age from 30 to 40 years old and who

lived within the state of Wisconsin ( males: n = 20; females: n = 20). We only chose to study individuals

who reported that they had a bachelor’s degree. Also, we focused only on individuals who were reporting

themselves as being heterosexual.

For analysis, we chose to score the individual based on what their preference was in the educational

background of their mate choice (table 1). For women, there was a slightly greater mean in the

preference of education in mate choice, then in males (female: mean = 4.3; male: mean = 4.05, fig. 1).

Though this graph does not strongly support our hypothesis that women have a greater preference in mate

education, the data does show a slight increase over male preference. We used statistical testing to better

support our hypothesis.

Individuals Degree Preference score of education in mate selection

High School 1Some College 2

Associate’s 3Bachelor’s 4Graduate 5

Ph.D. 6

Fig. 1. Mean preference score in educational background for mate selection in both females and males. Females had a slightly higher preference in the educational background of their mate choice.

When considering the Fisher’s exact statistical test, we chose to look at male and female educational

preference in terms of either lesser or equal to the individuals own education. In other words, we

compared the score value of all individuals (value = 4 (bachelor’s) for both males and females)) with that

of the preference of mate education which was either a lesser value or the same value (table 2). More

males preferred females with a lesser degree than did males who preferred a female with a greater degree

than themselves. On the contrary, more females preferred males with a greater degree than did females

who preferred a male with a lesser degree than themselves (Fisher’s Exact test, n = 20 females, n = 20

males, P < 0.01, table 2).

Lesser degree in mate Greater degree in mateMales 16 4

Females 7 13Table. 2. Male and female preference in education of mate choice for either lesser or greater education than themselves (male: n

= 20; female: n = 20). More males preferred females with a lesser degree than did greater. In contrast, more females preferred males with a greater degree than a lesser degree than themselves.

We conducted a chi-square analysis to determine if there was a difference between males and

females when considering their preference in mate education. We looked all 40 samples for both males

and females and determined whether their mate preference was for the same or lesser education, or if the

preferred mate had a higher education. We found that there was a significant difference between males

and females (chi-square test, n = 20 females, n = 20 males, P = 0.05, table 3).

Lesser or same degree in mate Greater degree in mateMales 13 7

Females 7 13Table. 3. Male and female preference in education of mate choice for either lesser or same education as themselves (male: n =

20; female: n = 20). More males preferred females with a lesser or same degree as themselves than did greater. In contrast, more females preferred males with a greater degree than themselves.

It was important to note that there was a greater difference in the male lower and upper preference in

mate education, than in females (fig. 2). This may suggest that males kept their preference for female

education more broad, so as to have a larger pool of females to choose from. On the contrary, females

were more specific in the education of their mate choice. They did not have a much broader spectrum as

the males did.

Fig. 2. Mean preference scores for lower and upper preference in educational background for both females and males. Females had a lesser difference between the lower and upper preference in the educational background of their mate choice. Males had a greater difference between lower and upper preference.

Discussion_________________________________________________________________________

Our study provides support for the hypothesis that there is a difference between males and females

in the preference of mate educational background (Fisher’s Exact test, n = 20 females, n = 20 males, P

< 0.01, table 2). Our results show that more females preferred males with a higher education than

themselves, rather than lower. In contrast, more males preferred females with a lower education than

themselves, rather than higher (table 2). This finding is parallel with previous research which

mentioned that females prefer males with more power and education. Males with more power and

education have a higher fitness level because they can provide more resources and better overall

investment in offspring. Another figure supported this finding as well, in which the overall preference

for education level in mate choice was higher in females than males, though it was not a hugely

significant difference in this particular study (female: mean = 4.3; male: mean = 4.05, fig. 1).

There was also a noticeable difference between males and females in the difference between lower

and upper preference of their mate choice (fig. 2). The difference between the average female lower

preference and upper preference was much less than that of males. The male’s upper preference in

female education was a bit higher than that of females; however, the difference between lower and

upper educational preference was much greater. This could suggest that males tended to keep their

preference more open, so to have a larger pool of women to choose from. Females were more specific

in their preference, which is related to the sexual selection theory in which females are choosier and

male compete more.

If this study were to be repeated, it would be important to get a larger sample size so to reduce

error. In this study we were able to collect data from a total of 40 people, but if repeated, we could

increase sample size by 10-fold to get better results. This study only focused on individuals with a

bachelor’s degree, so if repeated, it may be useful to collect data from individuals who had different

degrees as well. Lastly, it would also be useful to collect data from a different population of people,

possibly from a larger city.

This study is important in the fact that mate choice preferences can be ever-evolving, especially in

our Western society. Also, it is important to note the difference between this study and similar ones

which used different methods. This study collected information from an online dating site, which 25

years ago didn’t even exist. Other similar studies collect raw data from surveys taken directly by

volunteers. So, it is important to understand that there certainly could be differences between the two

methods of data collection.

Acknowledgements_________________________________________________________________

Special thanks to Match.com® for allowing this research to take place. Also thanks to Nicole Kime and Matt Olsen for their help and support along the way on this study.

References_________________________________________________________________________

Buss, D., & Barnes, M. Preferences in human mate selection. (1986). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50(3), 559-570. Retrieved from http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/homepage/group/busslab/pdffiles/prefs_mate_selection_1986_jpsp.pdf

Buston, P., & Emlen, S. Cognitive processes underlying human mate choice: The relationship between self-perception and mate preference in western society. (2003). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 100(15), 8805-8810. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1533220100

Trivers, R. (1972). Parental investment and sexual selection. (pp. 136-179). Chicago, Illinois: Aldine Publishing Company. Retrieved from http://www1.appstate.edu/~kms/classes/psy2664/Documents/trivers.pdf