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. 2008 Feb 23;4(1):31-3.
doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2007.0543.

Driving a hard bargain: sex ratio and male marriage success in a historical US population

Thomas V Pollet  1 , Daniel Nettle
Affiliations

Driving a hard bargain: sex ratio and male marriage success in a historical US population

Thomas V Pollet et al. Biol Lett. .

Abstract

Evolutionary psychologists have documented a widespread female preference for men of high status and resources, and evidence from several populations suggests that this preference has real effects on marriage success. Here, we show that in the US population of 1910, socioeconomic status (SES) had a positive effect on men's chances of marrying. We also test a further prediction from the biological markets theory, namely that where the local sex ratio produces an oversupply of men, women will be able to drive a harder bargain. As the sex ratio of the states increases, the effect of SES on marriage success becomes stronger, indicating increased competition between men and an increased ability to choose on the part of women.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
SES for a (predicted) married man. Bars represent 95% CI for the mean.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Ratio of SES for (predicted) married men to SES for (predicted) unmarried men plotted against sex ratio at state level. (States where OSR>1.08 are not represented as the model predicts no one would marry there. These are states with a relatively small population.)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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