Assessing the cultural advancement of values in mate preferences: a cross-generational analysis

Ravi Prakash, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

The 20th century has witnessed more radical changes in human values. Expansion of modern education brought greater access to economic resources and more exposure to mass media among men and women. These changes are topical observations from developing world and forced people to reevaluate the assumptions about men and women of present generation. In context of these cultural changes, a core question for social psychology is: Have human values changed in present cultural changes and if yes, in what ways? Using cross-generational primary data, collected from urban Uttar Pradesh, present paper tries to assess the cultural advancement of values in human mating. Result indicates substantial changes in values across generations. Individuals of present generation increased the importance they attach to faithfulness and physical attractiveness in a mate. Mutual attraction and love also climbed in importance for both sexes. Despite of profound cultural changes over generations, considerable continuity remains same also.