cogtest

From an evolutionary standpoint if a woman were to get what she truly desired she would have a dominant man that could provide her with his genes and his resources, and another less dominant man who could greatly aid in parental investment. I think women in today's society are looking for a balance between the two. As a father, they would not want a completely dominant man who would not aid in parental investment, or a completely feminine man who would not provide any resources. The would prefer a slightly less dominant man who was a balance between the two. -- Tom

I think it does have to do with the dual mating strategy. I agree with Tom, that women are looking for a balance between the two. However, I think that this does not only apply to women in today's society, I think that throughout evolutionary history, women have sought for some sort of compromise between the masculine male and the less masculine, more caring male.
It is, though, increasingly more evident that masculinity does not equal the big bucks and resources in today's world. It is no longer that the guy with more masculine features can subdue rivals males and attract all the females and have all the resources. Successful men today, i.e. Bill Gates, aren't necessarily brawny and macho. And of course, successful men that aren't brawny and macho have resources and will be good fathers because less dominant men may have greater parental investment. That may account for a difference between women's mate selection in the modern day compared to in the past.
And think back to the video we watched in class, where the same male face was digitally changed along a masculine-feminine spectrum. Who looks like he would be more dedicated and gentle to the kids: the guy who looks like he just got out of prison or the guy who looks more delicate? Parental investment is a big part of mate selection, and now that resources can come with males of all shapes and sizes and survival is not contingent on masculine gene material, females will likely more often opt for the less masculine mate.

I think it would be interesting to analyze healthy and stable long term relationships, in regards to the "sex appeal" of the man as perceived by the woman. I would be inclined to believe that a woman might want to alter her man's appearence in response to the previously discussed facial cues. For example, tell him he shouldn't shave because he looks "hot" like that during the first few days. Perhaps that kind of behavior could reconcile the contradictory dual mating strategy for women. Unless, of course, the guy can't grow a beard!

I also agree with the idea that women want a balance between a caring father and a good provider. An additional point is that there are currently a significant number of working moms. Even if a female chooses to stay at home, she still has the option to work. Therefore, a woman is no longer completely dependent on a man for resources for her children. Having two parents to provide for children reduces the need for a "dominant, high-status" male, and the woman can instead choose someone who would be a good father. Furthermore, masculine features are no longer a good indicator of resources. Why take a chance on someone who looks really macho and ends up not being a good provider or a good father. Today, it seems like it would be more beneficial for a female to be attracted to someone who would look like a good father.

I think that Eugina's insight on this pattern is brilliant: female attraction is a duality. When searching for a long term mate, women prefer men who are more likely to efficiently raise a child. But if what this article is saying is true, then because women have chosen these males who are good for the long haul but have less dominant genes, females must obtain these higher quality genes from other males. So quite possibly, the correlation for less dominant males to possess traits of high parental investment might not only be an explanation but a reason for female infidelity. This brings up the question, are men with both dominant genes and high MPI the ideal mate in the eyes of a woman?