Abstract: People may value possessions, in part, because ownership of goods promotes feelings of security. If so, women with low security should be inclined to choose men with good material condition as their mates. We test this prediction in two studies. Study 1 aims to explore the relationship between women’s security and their material preference in mate-choosing. Study 2 aims to test whether reducing women’s security would increase their material preference in mate-choosing. We took unmarried working women from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou as participants in both studies. In study 1, we developed a scenario-based questionnaire to measure women’s preference in mate-choosing first. There’re three personal ads in the questionnaire, each shows a man’s photo and text describing the man’s character condition, outer condition and material condition. The three men are equivalent on the whole, without significant difference in average score of the three conditions (F(2, 162)=.06, ns) or in age (F(2, 162)=.13, ns). But the first man’s character condition is outstanding while the other two men’s are ordinary (F(2, 162)=69.38, p<.001), the second man’s outer condition is outstanding while the other two men’s are ordinary (F(2, 162)=80.13, p<.001), the third man’s material condition is outstanding while the other two men’s are ordinary (F(2, 162)=87.84, p<.001). We assume that women who choose the first man prefer character condition, women who choose the second man prefer outer condition, and women who choose the third man prefer material condition. Then, we used the scenario-based questionnaire and security questionnaire (α=.91) to explore the relationship between women’s security and their material preference in mate-choosing. The result shows the women who choose the third man with outstanding material condition hold significantly lower level of security than other women who choose the first or the second man (F(2, 354)=5.53, p<0.01, ===.03, 1-β=.85). In study 2, we employ priming paradigm and manipulate security to test whether reducing women’s security would increase their material preference in mate-choosing. First, we employ a test-retest design to check whether the priming would be valid. We measured participants’ security twice. The first time was for baseline (α=.93). After 2 weeks, we manipulated the participants’ security by mortality salience and measured their security again (α=.94). Finally we got 63 valid questionnaires. The result shows priming by mortality salience significantly reduces women’s security (Mbefore=3.38, S.D.before=.67; Mafter=3.10, S.D.after=.67; t(df=62)=6.64, p<.001, d=.84, 1-β=1.00). Then, we recruited 400 (315 valid data) participants and randomly divided them into priming group or control group. For priming group, we manipulated the participants’ security and then measured their preference in mate-choosing; for control group, we directly measured their preference in mate-choosing. Chi-square test shows the two groups’ preference in mate-choosing is significantly different (x2(df=2)=6.65, p<.05, Cramer’s φ=.15). Further, ratio test shows more women in priming group choose the third man than in control group (priming group: 35.26%, control group: 23.27%, |Z|=2.37, p<.01). Overall, unmarried working women in big cities with low security are inclined to choose men with good material condition. Low security boosting the pursuit of materials is the product of the contemporary background and also a manifestation of women’s psychological needs. The results provide references for the rational guide of women’s mate-choosing.

Key words: security, mate-choosing, material preference, unmarried working women

摘要： 本研究以大城市职场未婚女性为例，探讨女性安全感对其择偶中物质倾向的影响。研究1采用问卷调查法(有效问卷357份)，发现了女性安全感与其择偶中的物质倾向具有负相关的关系；研究2采用实验范式，通过死亡提醒操纵安全感，进一步验证女性安全感对其择偶中物质倾向的影响。研究结果表明，大城市职场未婚女性的安全感越低，其择偶中的物质倾向就越明显。本研究结果对部分女性择偶中表现的物质倾向提供了心理学解释。

关键词: 安全感, 择偶, 物质倾向, 职场未婚女性