What Successful Women Want

Researchers found that as women become more financially independent, they prefer older, more attractive male partners.

As if George Clooney didn’t have enough going for him already, researchers at the University of Abertay Dundee have found something else that will boost his ego. The researchers found that as women become more financially independent, they prefer older, more attractive male partners.

Earlier research found that women prefer men who can provide for them, while men had a preference for women who look good. In case of women, at least, this predilection seems to change as they become more financially independent. The findings suggest that greater financial independence lends women greater confidence in choosing their mates.

Lead researcher Dr Fhionna Moore, a psychology lecturer at the University of Abertay Dundee, says: “We’d assumed that as women earn more, their partner preferences would actually become more like those of men, with a tendency towards preferring younger, more attractive partners rather than those who can provide and care for children. However, more financially independent women actually preferred even older men.”