Women Rated More Attractive Than Men Across Cultures, Ages, and Orientations

A large‑scale study from the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics (MPIEA) in Frankfurt has confirmed that women’s faces are judged more attractive than men’s across a wide range of cultures, age groups and sexual orientations. The researchers, who collected ratings from thousands of participants worldwide, identified the phenomenon as the “Gender Attractiveness Gap” (GAP). Their data, now examined in a new article in *Current Opinion in Psychology*, show that the effect persists even when controlling for variables such as facial symmetry, expression, and cultural beauty standards.

The MPIEA team used a standardized set of high‑resolution photographs and a double‑blind rating protocol in which participants scored attractiveness on a 7‑point scale. Participants spanned 30 countries, included both heterosexual and non‑heterosexual individuals, and ranged in age from 18 to 70. Statistical analysis revealed that, on average, female faces received scores 0.4 points higher than male faces—a difference that remained significant across all demographic subgroups. The article also explores potential evolutionary, social, and perceptual mechanisms that might underlie the GAP, noting that the effect is robust even when participants are instructed to focus on objective facial features rather than personal preference.

These findings reinforce the notion that gender differences in perceived facial attractiveness are not confined to a single culture or demographic group. The study’s comprehensive dataset and rigorous methodology provide a solid foundation for future research into the biological and sociocultural factors that shape our judgments of beauty.