Traditional Gender Roles: Do They Make, and Then Break, our Relationships?

Despite societal pressure for change in traditional gender roles, the coevolution of genes and culture may still lead us to be attracted to potential mates whose appearance and behavior is stereotypically masculine or feminine. This attraction is ironic in light of a growing body of research evidence indicating that the relationships of men and women with traditional gender roles are far from optimal—and are generally worse than those of androgynous men and women. These seemingly paradoxical findings may reflect the conflict between what our genes and past culture dispose us to do and what our present culture prescribes.