When considering a potential long-term mate for daughters, both women and their parents state that a potential partner's ambition and intelligence are more important than physical attractiveness. However, both women and their parents make mate choices that contradict their stated preferences, favoring a physically attractive partner for daughters over an ambitious and intelligent partner. The physical attractiveness of a potential mate for daughters (as a signal of genetic quality) may be more important to both women and their parents than they consciously realize and conflict among women and their parents over women's chosen partnerships may be less common when focusing on defined mate choices rather than hypothetical mate preferences.

LINK: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2023-58248-001