What Women Want Versus What Men Want

The sexes still differ in the characteristics they desire in potential mates.

• Women are more concerned with emotional fidelity; men are more distressed by sexual infidelity 
• Men more than women value brief, short-term relationships. 
• Both sexes desire long-term mates. Differences between the sexes are larger than those between sexual orientations

Three decades ago, and across many cultures, several researchers explored how women and men differ in their preferences for a mate. Outside of personal partialities such as “I want a nice person” or “I want someone who likes me,” the question raised: Are there sex differences in the qualities that are desired in a mate, either for a short-term or long-term partner? One scholar who investigated these differences was evolutionary psychologist David Buss who established through his research consistent and significant differences between women and men in what they value in a mate.

What Women Want Versus What Men Want