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 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.
Social Sciences, University of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus.
Menelaos
M
Apostolou
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003468:Cultural Evolution; D003535:Cyprus; D005191:Family Characteristics / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D010287:Parent-Child Relations / Q000208:ethnology; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D010551:Personality; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D012737:Sex Factors; D012928:Social Desirability; D012938:Social Perception; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D018454:Spouses / Q000145:classification* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology