Outline and evaluate evolutionary explanations for partner preferences.

Evolutionary explanations posit that our partner preferences are based on our fundamental desire to reproduce and pass on our genes. Both males and females therefore show a preference for mates who appear to have healthy, quality genes. However, females make a much larger investment in each offspring as they have a finite number of eggs which they produce only until later adulthood, and they carry and support offspring for nine months during pregnancy. Therefore, according to evolutionary explanations females are more picky in who they mate with and tend to seek mates who are of physical health, in order to offer protection, and who have access to resources, in order to support the mother and offspring. As females are only fertile for a limited period of time, males show a preference for females who are more likely to be fertile, such as those who are younger as females are more fertile at this time.This theory is supported by Buss’s (1989) large scale study looking at partner preferences in over 10,000 adults across 37 countries. This found that males tended to place more importance on good looks and seeking a younger female. On the other hand females found characteristics such as work ethic and employment as more important than males did. As this study found these preferences to be consistent across so many cultures, it does support the idea that these preferences are universal and innate.However, this theory could be argued to be reductionist as it doesn’t account for homosexual relationships and mating, in which passing on of genes from both partners is not possible. Failing to account for LGBT people’s experiences also shows a heterosexual bias in this theory and research.Furthermore, Buss’s (1989) study uses an artificial design. How people answer about their preferences on a questionnaire may not be a valid reflection of how people form relationships in real life.