Subscribe
The latest psychology and neuroscience discoveries.
My Account
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • Psychopharmacology
No Result
View All Result
PsyPost
PsyPost
No Result
View All Result
Home Exclusive Social Psychology

‘Trophy wife’ stereotype is largely a myth, new study shows

by University of Notre Dame
June 17, 2014
in Social Psychology
Photo credit: Michael Dorausch (Creative Commons)

Photo credit: Michael Dorausch (Creative Commons)

[Subscribe to PsyPost on YouTube to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in psychology and neuroscience]

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Don’t be so quick to judge.

Most people are familiar with the “trophy wife” stereotype that attractive women marry rich men, placing little importance on their other traits, including physical appearance, and that men look for pretty wives but don’t care about their education or earnings.

New research, however, by University of Notre Dame Sociologist Elizabeth McClintock, shows the trophy wife stereotype is largely a myth fueled by selective observation that reinforces sexist stereotypes and trivializes women’s careers.

In “Beauty and Status: The Illusion of Exchange in Partner Selection?” forthcoming in American Sociological Review, McClintock resolves the paradox between the trophy wife stereotype and the evidence that couples match on both physical attractiveness and socioeconomic status.

Using, for the first time, a nationally representative sample of young couples in which both partners were interviewed and rated for physical attractiveness, McClintock was able to control for matching on attractiveness. She says prior research in this area has ignored two important factors.

“I find that handsome men partner with pretty women and successful men partner with successful women,” says McClintock, who specializes in inequality within romantic partnerships. “So, on average, high-status men do have better-looking wives, but this is because they themselves are considered better looking–perhaps because they are less likely to be overweight and more likely to afford braces, nice clothes and trips to the dermatologist, etc. Secondly, the strongest force by far in partner selection is similarity — in education, race, religion and physical attractiveness.”

McClintock’s research shows that there is not, in fact, a general tendency for women to trade beauty for money. That is not to say trophy wife marriages never happen, just that they are very rare.

“Donald Trump and his third wife Melania Knauss-Trump may very well exemplify the trophy wife stereotype,” McClintock says. “But, there are many examples of rich men who partner with successful women rather than ‘buying’ a supermodel wife.

The two men who founded Google (Larry Page and Sergey Brin) both married highly accomplished women—one has a PhD and the other is a wealthy entrepreneur.”

McClintock says the trophy wife stereotype is most often wrongly-applied among non- celebrities.

“I’ve heard doctors’ wives referred to as trophy wives by observers who only notice her looks and his status and fail to realize that he is good-looking too and that she is also a successful professional–or was before she had kids and left her job,” McClintock says.

McClintock’s research also indicates that, contrary to the trophy wife stereotype, social class barriers in the marriage market are relatively impermeable. Beautiful women are unlikely to leverage their looks to secure upward mobility by marriage.

ShareTweetSendScanShareSharePinSend

STAY CONNECTED

TRENDING

People are less satisfied with their marriage when their partner is not interested in social interactions, study finds

Toxoplasma gondii parasite infection linked to cognitive deterioration in schizophrenia

Narcissism and mental health in relationships: Surprising results revealed in new psychology study

New research shows link between tropical vacations and improved mental health

Sleep effort mediates the relationship between anxiety and depression, study finds

Are you a frequent apologizer? New research indicates you might actually reap downstream benefits

RECENT

Linguistic analysis of 177,296 Reddit comments sheds light on negative attitudes toward science

Are you a frequent apologizer? New research indicates you might actually reap downstream benefits

Pro-female and anti-male biases are more influential than race and other factors in Implicit Association Tests

Toxoplasma gondii parasite infection linked to cognitive deterioration in schizophrenia

New research shows link between tropical vacations and improved mental health

Narcissism and mental health in relationships: Surprising results revealed in new psychology study

Sleep effort mediates the relationship between anxiety and depression, study finds

Masks hinder our ability to recognize facial expressions of sadness and fear

Currently Playing

Are you a frequent apologizer? New research indicates you might actually reap downstream benefits

Are you a frequent apologizer? New research indicates you might actually reap downstream benefits

Are you a frequent apologizer? New research indicates you might actually reap downstream benefits

Social Psychology
People with dark personality traits are better at finding novel ways to cause damage or harm others

People with dark personality traits are better at finding novel ways to cause damage or harm others

Dark Triad
Exercising in nature produces psychological benefits and measurable changes in brain activity

Exercising in nature produces psychological benefits and measurable changes in brain activity

Cognitive Science
People with social anxiety tend to engage in restrictive “safety behaviors” that make them less likable, study finds

People with social anxiety tend to engage in restrictive “safety behaviors” that make them less likable, study finds

Anxiety
Study helps untangle the complicated relationship between psychopathy and emotional awareness

Study helps untangle the complicated relationship between psychopathy and emotional awareness

Psychopathy
People exposed to phubbing by their romantic partner are less satisfied with their romantic relationship

People exposed to phubbing by their romantic partner are less satisfied with their romantic relationship

Relationships and Sexual Health
  • Cognitive Science
  • COVID-19
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Drug Research
  • Conspiracy Theories
  • Meditation
  • Psychology of Religion
  • Aviation Psychology and Human Factors
  • Relationships and Sexual Health
  • Evolutionary Psychology
  • Neuroimaging
  • Psychedelic Drugs
  • Dark Triad
  • Political Psychology

About

PsyPost is a psychology and neuroscience news website dedicated to reporting the latest research on human behavior, cognition, and society. (READ MORE...)

  • Contact us
  • Privacy policy

Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Cognitive Science Research
  • Mental Health Research
  • Social Psychology Research
  • Drug Research
  • Relationship Research
  • About PsyPost
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used.