How are mating preferences explained from an evolutionary perspective?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

From an evolutionary perspective, optimal mating strategies are those that best promote
the conception, birth, and subsequent reproduction of offspring. Although the goal is the
same for men and women—to ensure the survival of their genes in future generations
—the optimal strategies for achieving this goal are different. Because men are
potentially able to produce a large number of offspring, their optimal strategy is to
inseminate many different women selected for their reproductive capacity. And
because women who are young and healthy are perceived as having the highest
reproductive capacity, it is in the best interest of men to be concerned about the age
and health of women. From an evolutionary perspective, this is why men are
particularly interested in women's physical appearance. Women, in contrast, are
biologically more limited in terms of the number of offspring they can produce. The
optimal strategy for women, therefore, is to maximize the chances that the offspring
they do have will survive and have offspring of their own. And these chances are
improved when women select mates who can provide the resources necessary to
ensure both their well-being and that of their children. According to the evolutionary
perspective, this is why women value the socio economic status of men.