Beliefs about Romantic Relationships: Gender Differences among Undergraduates

Three-hundred-and-twenty six undergraduates at a large southeastern university completed an anonymous 74-item questionnaire designed to assess beliefs about men, women, and relationships. Significant differences between men's and women's beliefs about romantic relationships were found on eight of 14 items. Men were significantly more likely to believe that cohabitation improves marriage, that bars are good places to meet a potential mate, that men control relationships, and that people will "cheat" if they feel they will not be caught. In contrast, women were significantly more likely to believe that love is more important than factors like age and race in choosing a mate, that couples stop "trying" after they marry, and that women know when their men are lying. Implications and limitations of the data are suggested. (Contains 1 table.)