摘要：AbstractOne of the issues studied in mate selection is Preference in choosing criteria. Virtual studies are an interesting way to investigate ideal or preferred criteria when people looking for their mates. This study addresses what criteria are important for girls and boys in selecting their prospectus spouses. Since parents’ opinions are also an important factor in mate selection in Iran, we asked mothers’ opinions about their ideal son/daughter in laws in order to find possible differences in preferred criteria when sel ecting mates for their son or their daughters and also the generation gap between mothers and children in mate selection. Participants were 15 young boys and 15 girls and their mothers. Participants were introduced to several prospectus mates through a virtual or cyberspace environment and had options to look at different criteria for each. They were asked to choose the one they prefer and the process of their selection was recorded by a computer programming. Then participants’ mothers also did this process. The differences between boys and girls and their mothers were measured. The differences between mothers in selecting criteria for their ideal son-in-laws and ideal daughter-in-laws were also measured. The results showed that physical beauty was more important to boys than to girls while the criteria of responsibility and being loved were more important to girls than to boys. Income, field of study, and being handsome were more important criteria for mothers when choosing son-in-law than when selecting daughter-in-law. The girls paid more attention to loving and being loved and relations before marriage than their mothers. Choosing a handsome bride was the more important criterion for boys than for their mothers. Discussion: Gender and generation differences found in the study indicate the gap between girls and boys and also the generation gap between youth and parents in mate selection.
