Cross-cultural studies conducted over a period of several decades suggest that men prefer physically attractive, younger

[answerhappygod]

Cross-cultural studies conducted over a period of severaldecades suggest that men prefer physically attractive, youngerwomen, while women look for men whose socioeconomic status ishigher than their own, who offer earning potential and stability. The reasons behind men's and women's divergent mating goalsare explained by parental investmenttheory. This theory proposes that men valuehealth and availability in their mates and are less selectivebecause their minimum investment in parenting offspring—a singleact of sexual intercourse—requires only a few minutes. Incontrast, women's minimum investment in childbearing involvesnurturing an unborn child in their own body for 9 months as well asenduring the potentially physically traumatic experience of givingbirth. Given their minimum investments, men seek to maximizethe likelihood of survival of the species by maximizing the numberof their offspring; women seek to minimize the number of theiroffspring because their investment is so much greater. Further,evolutionary theorists argue that both men and women realize that atruly adaptive approach to child-rearing requires much more than aminimum investment. Human offspring cannot raise themselves.Therefore, men value health and youth in their mates not onlybecause these traits suggest fertility but also because a young,healthy woman is likely to live long enough to raise children. Similarly, women realize that to be able to nurture childrento adulthood, they must have an economic provider so that they willbe able to invest the time needed to raise offspring. Consequently, they look for men who seem to be capable offulfilling these requirements. Address the following for yourinitial discussion:Are these sex differences in mate preferencesand mating behavior due to nature (genetic) or nurture(environmental)? Give examples to support your answer.