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UK Wedding News

19/09/2013

Parents 'Will Never Approve' A Daughter's Partner – Study

Scientists have claimed to discover why parents rarely believe their daughter's boyfriend is good enough for her.

The research, which has been conducted by British and Dutch scientists and is published in the journal Evolution and Human Behaviour, suggest that mothers and fathers are 'pre-programmed' to ensure their children end up with love, support and money.

As a result of this evolutionary instinct, parents want to see their daughter settle down with someone who will look after her and provide for her every need.

However, it's also been suggested that daughters can exploit their parents' wish by settling for a man who is not a good provider – because they're confident their parents will compensate for his shortcomings.

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Dr Tim Fawcett, from Bristol University, said parents' disapproving behaviour appears to be connected to the way humans have evolved.

That is, parents who disapprove of their daughter's choice of partner can't help it; they are only acting in the way nature intended.

Working with scientists at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, Dr Fawcett developed a computer program to look at why the two generations disagree on the definition of a 'suitable man'.

The results revealed the largest dividing factor was the level of support their daughter's partner could offer.

Dr Fawcett explained: "Parents want all their daughters to end up with the same level of support, so to achieve this they give more to daughters who have less from their partner.

"But this leads to conflict over mate choice because daughters can afford to choose an unsupportive partner in the knowledge their parents will pick up the slack.

"The conflict over parental resources is central to understanding why parents and children disagree in mate choice."

The research only looked at daughters, but Dr Fawcett thinks the theory could also explain why parents are unhappy with their son's choice of partner.

(JP/CD)

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"Scientists have claimed to discover why parents rarely believe their daughter's boyfriend is good enough for her."