Do men prefer to marry women subordinates?

international | miscellaneous | other press Sunday January 23, 2005 11:29 by Michael Hennigan - Finfacts.com

‘A chap with a high IQ is going to get a demanding job that is going to take up a lot of his energy and time. In many ways he wants a woman who is an old-fashioned wife and looks after the home, a copy of his mum in a way.’

American property magnate and mega self-publicist Donald Trump-58 and Slovenian model Melania Knauss-34, tied the knot at the weekend, at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach, Florida estate. Trump reportedly received a good wish message from his second wife Marla Maples who said: "I just wish you a wonderful, wonderful wedding. Many happy, happy times and find your bliss – not easy – find your bliss."

Time will tell if Ms. Knauss, who has not been married before, will find her bliss but there is no need to speculate as to who will have the master and apprentice roles.

Just last month, the University of Michigan published a study, which found that men are more likely to want to marry women who are their assistants at work rather than their colleagues or bosses.

The study, published in the current issue of Evolution and Human Behavior, highlights the importance of relational dominance in mate selection and discusses the evolutionary utility of male concerns about mating with dominant females.

"These findings provide empirical support for the widespread belief that powerful women are at a disadvantage in the marriage market because men may prefer to marry less accomplished women," said Stephanie Brown, lead author of the study and a social psychologist at the U-M Institute for Social Research (ISR).