Question

With regard to mate preferences, support for social role theory includes all of the following EXCEPT: A. The tendency to prioritize earning potential over attractiveness reverses among financially independent women. B.Across the world, men tend to be older than women they marry. C. Sex/gender differences are weaker in countries with greater gender equality. D. Sex/gender differences in mate preferences have declined over time, as domestic and employment roles of women and men have grown more similar.

Answer 1

Support for social role theory includes various factors, but sex/gender differences in mate preferences have declined over time as roles between men and women have become more similar.

Step-by-step explanation:

Support for social role theory with regard to mate preferences includes several factors, but one exception to this is that sex/gender differences in mate preferences have declined over time, as domestic and employment roles of women and men have grown more similar. This means that as domestic and employment roles have become more equal between genders, the differences in mate preferences based on gender have decreased. Conversely, the other options listed in the question are examples of support for social role theory in mate preferences, such as the tendency for women to prioritize earning potential over attractiveness and the tendency for men to be older than the women they marry across different cultures.

Answer 2

Social role theory's predictions about mate preferences are generally supported by observations like the convergence of gender roles diminishing sex/gender differences in mate preferences, but financially independent women reversing the preference for earnings over attractiveness contradicts the theory's traditional view.

Step-by-step explanation:

When assessing mate preferences and their alignment with social role theory, several findings offer support, but one does not fit neatly within the theory's predictions. Social role theory suggests that gender-specific preferences are shaped by traditional social roles, with women often valuing earning potential in a mate due to historical dependency on male providers, whereas men value youth and attractiveness linked to fertility. Observations that financial independence alters women's preference patterns, the occurrence of age gaps in marriage favoring older men, and the diminishing of sex/gender differences in mate preferences as roles converge all endorse social role theory. However, financial independence in women reversing the preference of earnings over attractiveness is not a direct support point for social role theory—it might be considered a rebuttal to some of the theory's arguments.