The Universality of Parent-Offspring Conflict over Mate Choice: A Study in Suriname

A number of studies have shown parents tend to have a relatively stronger preference for children to pair with mates with characteristics signaling high parental investment and cooperation with the in-group, whereas children tend to have a relatively stronger preference to pair with mates with characteristics signaling genetic quality. The present research among 500 adults from the five major ethnic groups in Suriname showed that in all groups the same parent-offspring conflict was observed as had been found previously in Argentina, Japan, Kurdistan, North America, the Netherlands, and Uruguay. This result provides additional support for the universal character of this type of conflict. In addition, the present research expanded previous work by showing that married individuals as well as individuals without a steady relationship perceived that their parents found a lack of parental investment and cooperation with the in-group more unacceptable a than those in a steady relationship and those living together, and that individuals living in the urban area perceived it as more unacceptable to the parents when their partner is characterized by a lack of parental investment and cooperation with the in-group than individuals living in rural areas.