自己所得增加對擇偶所得偏好的影響：對演化論與社會結構論爭議點的再檢驗

Income Increase Effect on Income Preferences of Mate Selection: Re-exam the Argument between Evolutionary Theory and Social Structure Theory

過去文獻雖然顯示演化論與社會結構論對「擇偶偏好性別差異的源由」的看法殊異，但對「男性偏重異性外貌而女性偏重異性財富」的推測卻是一致，雖然很多實證文獻符合上述推測，但卻陷入「一個實證結果各自解釋」的困境，無助於解決理論上的爭辯。然而兩派理論在「男女的擇偶所得偏好差異是否會隨男女所得差距的縮小而縮小」的推測上卻是針鋒相對，此議題成了真正攻防的關鍵。本文以資料探勘法，運用大陸婚友網站上取得的大樣本與完整所得分組，重新檢驗上述議題。研究結果顯示：男女要求潛在對象須「所得大於或等於自己」的比率雖有不同，但皆隨自己所得的上升而下降(雖然男性不如女性明顯)。此結果較符合社會結構論中結構性權力弱勢假說的預測，即「女性的擇偶所得偏好會隨自己所得上升而向下放寬」。雖然本研究不能因此断言，擇偶所得偏好不受演化因素所影響，但至少可言：女性對異性所得偏好並非鐵板一塊，而且其「調整」的速度比演化論者的預測快了很多。

 

There are two issues in the study of “gender difference of income preference in mate selection”. The first issue is “whether women prefer income more than men do”. The second is “As economic differences between men and women diminish, will gender difference of income preference diminish too”. Evolutionary theory and social structure theory deduce completely different predictions in the second issue. This study uses the data mining technique with data from a dating web site in China to re-examine the prediction pertaining to the effect of the individual’s income on income preference in mate selection. We found that for both men and women, as their income increased, they were more willing to accept prospective partners whose income were less or equal to theirs. This result supports the prediction of “structural powerlessness hypothesis” in socio-structural perspective, however, is different from findings in previous studies using self-report questionnaires.