Cross-cultural variation in partner preferences: are gender gaps larger in countries with stronger gender norms?

Men and women differ in which characteristics they prioritise when choosing a romantic partner (e.g., on average, women place greater emphasis on the ability of partners to provide resources, and men place greater emphasis on physical attractiveness and youthfulness). However, researchers have disagreed over whether these gender gaps in partner preferences vary across cultures, specifically in relation to national levels of gender equality, given the inconsistencies in the previous literature. Here, using an open-access partner preference dataset (14,399 participants from 45 countries), we examined whether gender gaps in partner preferences correlate with the strength of gender norms, estimated via the Gender Social Norm Index. The analyses showed that the gender gap in preference for ‘good financial prospects’ was larger in countries with stronger gender norms, and men preferred larger age gaps between themselves and their partner in countries with stronger gender norms. These relationships were not replicated when using cultural tightness as a measure of the strength of social norms in general, which suggests that the findings specifically relate to gender norms. These results, which support the hypothesis that partner preferences are sensitive to local cultural contexts, are discussed in relation to evolutionary psychology and biosocial models of partner preferences.