Intergenerational Gender Preferences in Romantic Partner Selection: An Indonesian Perspective

Trends in the transition of gender role expectations that have occurred in the last few decades have slowly shifted the views regarding the characteristics that are deemed important in a romantic partner. Both evolutionary and contemporary perspectives are considered in the effort to better understa...

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Main Authors: Octavia Regina Caeli, Karel Karsten Himawan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: PsychOpen GOLD/ Leibniz Institute for Psychology 2025-06-01
Series:Interpersona: An International Journal on Personal Relationships
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.5964/ijpr.14257
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author Octavia Regina Caeli
Karel Karsten Himawan
author_facet Octavia Regina Caeli
Karel Karsten Himawan
author_sort Octavia Regina Caeli
collection DOAJ
description Trends in the transition of gender role expectations that have occurred in the last few decades have slowly shifted the views regarding the characteristics that are deemed important in a romantic partner. Both evolutionary and contemporary perspectives are considered in the effort to better understand changes in these shifts. This study aims to explore these shifts by comparing data from two generations based on the year of marriage. Using a cross-sectional design, 279 Indonesian heterosexual married adults (Mage = 39.95; SD = 10.23) completed the Mate Preferences Questionnaire. Participants were grouped by the year of marriage: the senior group (n = 96; married before 2000) and the younger group (n = 163; married after 2000). Their responses were analyzed using a two-way ANOVA. The study results show that based on sex differences, there were no significant differences between the senior group and the younger group in romantic partner preferences. However, when considering the time of marriage, participants in the younger group prioritised certain criteria more strongly than those in the senior group. These included maintaining order, being ambitious, and having good prospects in terms of intelligence and finances. The interaction between gender differences and marital duration showed significant differences in the importance of similar education levels as well as good education and intelligence. The study highlights the impact of evolving gender role expectations on the process of selecting romantic partners.
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spelling doaj-art-5e8c7e139a7241569e2fa105dc96de9a2025-08-04T11:16:55ZengPsychOpen GOLD/ Leibniz Institute for PsychologyInterpersona: An International Journal on Personal Relationships1981-64722025-06-0119111613410.5964/ijpr.14257ijpr.14257Intergenerational Gender Preferences in Romantic Partner Selection: An Indonesian PerspectiveOctavia Regina Caeli0Karel Karsten Himawan1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4778-7325Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Pelita Harapan, Banten, IndonesiaFaculty of Psychology, Universitas Pelita Harapan, Banten, IndonesiaTrends in the transition of gender role expectations that have occurred in the last few decades have slowly shifted the views regarding the characteristics that are deemed important in a romantic partner. Both evolutionary and contemporary perspectives are considered in the effort to better understand changes in these shifts. This study aims to explore these shifts by comparing data from two generations based on the year of marriage. Using a cross-sectional design, 279 Indonesian heterosexual married adults (Mage = 39.95; SD = 10.23) completed the Mate Preferences Questionnaire. Participants were grouped by the year of marriage: the senior group (n = 96; married before 2000) and the younger group (n = 163; married after 2000). Their responses were analyzed using a two-way ANOVA. The study results show that based on sex differences, there were no significant differences between the senior group and the younger group in romantic partner preferences. However, when considering the time of marriage, participants in the younger group prioritised certain criteria more strongly than those in the senior group. These included maintaining order, being ambitious, and having good prospects in terms of intelligence and finances. The interaction between gender differences and marital duration showed significant differences in the importance of similar education levels as well as good education and intelligence. The study highlights the impact of evolving gender role expectations on the process of selecting romantic partners.https://doi.org/10.5964/ijpr.14257married couplesgender rolesromantic partner preferences
spellingShingle Octavia Regina Caeli
Karel Karsten Himawan
Intergenerational Gender Preferences in Romantic Partner Selection: An Indonesian Perspective
Interpersona: An International Journal on Personal Relationships
married couples
gender roles
romantic partner preferences
title Intergenerational Gender Preferences in Romantic Partner Selection: An Indonesian Perspective
title_full Intergenerational Gender Preferences in Romantic Partner Selection: An Indonesian Perspective
title_fullStr Intergenerational Gender Preferences in Romantic Partner Selection: An Indonesian Perspective
title_full_unstemmed Intergenerational Gender Preferences in Romantic Partner Selection: An Indonesian Perspective
title_short Intergenerational Gender Preferences in Romantic Partner Selection: An Indonesian Perspective
title_sort intergenerational gender preferences in romantic partner selection an indonesian perspective
topic married couples
gender roles
romantic partner preferences
url https://doi.org/10.5964/ijpr.14257
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