Just in time for Valentine’s Day, University of Iowa sociologists Christie Boxer and Christine Whelan suggested some answers to the perennial question of what men and women want in a partner – and received national and international news mentions for their findings.

Boxer, a doctoral candidate, and Whelan, a visiting assistant professor, surveyed more than 1,100 undergraduates at the University of Iowa, the University of Washington, the University of Virginia and Penn State University, comparing the results to past mate-preference studies.

Since the 1930s, researchers have been asking college students to rank a list of 18 characteristics they'd prefer in a mate from "irrelevant" (0) to "essential" (3), allowing for a comparison of mate preferences dating back three generations. And my, how times have changed: Today's young adults rank love and attraction as most important; a few generations ago it didn't even make the top three.

Men are increasingly interested in an educated woman who is a good financial prospect and less interested in chastity. Women are increasingly interested in a man who wants a family and less picky about whether he's always Mr. Nice Guy.

“Marriage used to be a practical arrangement. Getting married for love or attraction was considered foolish and perhaps even dangerous," said Whelan, author of Marry Smart: The Intelligent Woman's Guide to True Love.


Related Link: Press release with details of the study's findings

Related Link: ABC News Online's story about the research

Related Link: LiveScience.com's story about the study

Related Link: Listen to The Exchange on Iowa Public Radio

Related Link: Canadian press coverage

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Related Link: Chinese press coverage