Parental Choice: Exploring in-Law Preferences and Their Contingencies in the Greek-Cypriot Culture
Despite the fact that parents exercise considerable influence over their children's choice of a mate, little is known of their preferences for daughters- and sons-in-law, particularly in a post-industrial context. This research aims to close the gap in our knowledge by making a taxonomic contri...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2014-01-01
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| Series: | Evolutionary Psychology |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/147470491401200105 |
| _version_ | 1797303538557124608 |
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| author | Menelaos Apostolou |
| author_facet | Menelaos Apostolou |
| author_sort | Menelaos Apostolou |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Despite the fact that parents exercise considerable influence over their children's choice of a mate, little is known of their preferences for daughters- and sons-in-law, particularly in a post-industrial context. This research aims to close the gap in our knowledge by making a taxonomic contribution on the qualities desired in an in-law. In particular, parents have rated the desirability of 88 traits in a prospective daughter-in-law and a son-in-law; using principal components analysis, these traits have been classified into 11 broader in-law preferences. On the basis of this classification, four hypotheses were tested: First, parents ascribe different weights to different traits; second, parental preferences are contingent upon the sex of the in-law (i.e., certain traits are valued differently in a son- and in a daughter-in-law); third, parents have a preference for assortative mating (i.e., they want their prospective in-laws and their families to be similar to them); and fourth, in-law preferences are independent of the sex of the parent (i.e., mothers and fathers are in agreement with respect to what qualities they seek in a spouse for their children). The results from two independent studies provide support for the first three hypotheses, but little support for the fourth hypothesis. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T23:54:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bb1347f95c7040b687bfa7b65fd2ba23 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1474-7049 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T23:54:15Z |
| publishDate | 2014-01-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Evolutionary Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-bb1347f95c7040b687bfa7b65fd2ba232024-02-18T14:06:19ZengSAGE PublishingEvolutionary Psychology1474-70492014-01-011210.1177/14747049140120010510.1177_147470491401200105Parental Choice: Exploring in-Law Preferences and Their Contingencies in the Greek-Cypriot CultureMenelaos ApostolouDespite the fact that parents exercise considerable influence over their children's choice of a mate, little is known of their preferences for daughters- and sons-in-law, particularly in a post-industrial context. This research aims to close the gap in our knowledge by making a taxonomic contribution on the qualities desired in an in-law. In particular, parents have rated the desirability of 88 traits in a prospective daughter-in-law and a son-in-law; using principal components analysis, these traits have been classified into 11 broader in-law preferences. On the basis of this classification, four hypotheses were tested: First, parents ascribe different weights to different traits; second, parental preferences are contingent upon the sex of the in-law (i.e., certain traits are valued differently in a son- and in a daughter-in-law); third, parents have a preference for assortative mating (i.e., they want their prospective in-laws and their families to be similar to them); and fourth, in-law preferences are independent of the sex of the parent (i.e., mothers and fathers are in agreement with respect to what qualities they seek in a spouse for their children). The results from two independent studies provide support for the first three hypotheses, but little support for the fourth hypothesis.https://doi.org/10.1177/147470491401200105 |
| spellingShingle | Menelaos Apostolou Parental Choice: Exploring in-Law Preferences and Their Contingencies in the Greek-Cypriot Culture Evolutionary Psychology |
| title | Parental Choice: Exploring in-Law Preferences and Their Contingencies in the Greek-Cypriot Culture |
| title_full | Parental Choice: Exploring in-Law Preferences and Their Contingencies in the Greek-Cypriot Culture |
| title_fullStr | Parental Choice: Exploring in-Law Preferences and Their Contingencies in the Greek-Cypriot Culture |
| title_full_unstemmed | Parental Choice: Exploring in-Law Preferences and Their Contingencies in the Greek-Cypriot Culture |
| title_short | Parental Choice: Exploring in-Law Preferences and Their Contingencies in the Greek-Cypriot Culture |
| title_sort | parental choice exploring in law preferences and their contingencies in the greek cypriot culture |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/147470491401200105 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT menelaosapostolou parentalchoiceexploringinlawpreferencesandtheircontingenciesinthegreekcypriotculture |