Do Men Trade Their
Status and Income for an Attractive Wife?
Research says that 'Trophy
wife' Stereotype is Largely a Myth.
Although this study was only done on young couples I wonder what
the research would show about older rich men mate selection. Here is the
research. I have highlighted the interesting sections.
Date: June 17, 2014
Source: University of Notre Dame
Source: University of Notre Dame
The
trophy wife stereotype is largely a myth fueled by selective observation that
reinforces sexist stereotypes and trivializes women's careers, researchers
conclude. Research also indicates that, contrary to the trophy wife stereotype,
social class barriers in the marriage market are relatively impermeable. Beautiful women are unlikely to
leverage their looks to secure upward mobility by marriage.
Most people are familiar with the "trophy wife"
stereotype that attractive women marry rich men, placing little importance on
their other traits, including physical appearance, and that men look for pretty
wives but don't care about their education or earnings.
New research, however, by University of Notre Dame Sociologist
Elizabeth McClintock, shows the trophy wife stereotype is largely a myth fueled by selective
observation that reinforces sexist stereotypes and trivializes women's careers.
In "Beauty and Status: The Illusion of Exchange in Partner
Selection?" forthcoming in American Sociological Review,
McClintock resolves the paradox between the trophy wife stereotype and the
evidence that couples
match on both physical attractiveness and socioeconomic status.
Using, for the first time, a nationally representative sample of
young couples in
which both partners were interviewed and rated for physical attractiveness,
McClintock was able to control for matching on attractiveness. She says prior
research in this area has ignored two important factors.
"I find that
handsome men partner with pretty women and successful men partner with
successful women," says McClintock, who specializes in inequality within romantic
partnerships. "So, on average, high-status men do have better-looking
wives, but this is because they themselves are considered better
looking--perhaps because they are less likely to be overweight and more likely
to afford braces, nice clothes and trips to the dermatologist, etc. Secondly,
the strongest force by far
in partner selection is similarity -- in education, race, religion and physical
attractiveness."
McClintock's research
shows that there is not, in fact, a general tendency for women to trade beauty
for money. That is not to say trophy wife marriages never happen, just that
they are very rare.
"Donald Trump and his third wife Melania Knauss-Trump may
very well exemplify the trophy wife stereotype," McClintock says.
"But, there are many examples of rich men who partner with successful
women rather than 'buying' a supermodel wife.
The two men who founded Google (Larry Page and Sergey Brin) both
married highly accomplished women -- one has a PhD and the other is a wealthy
entrepreneur."
McClintock says the trophy wife stereotype is most often
wrongly-applied among non- celebrities.
"I've heard doctors' wives referred to as trophy wives by
observers who only notice her looks and his status and fail to realize that he
is good-looking too and that she is also a successful professional--or was
before she had kids and left her job," McClintock says.
McClintock's research
also indicates that, contrary to the trophy wife stereotype, social class
barriers in the marriage market are relatively impermeable. Beautiful women are
unlikely to leverage their looks to secure upward mobility by marriage.
Story Source:
The above story is based on materials provided
by University of Notre Dame. Note:
Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal Reference:
1. E.
A. McClintock. Beauty and Status: The Illusion of Exchange in Partner
Selection? American Sociological Review, 2014; DOI: 10.1177/0003122414536391
University
of Notre Dame. "'Trophy wife' stereotype is largely a myth, new study
shows." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 17 June 2014.
.
Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.
