This study examined the influence of sex, sex role orientation, and type of relationship on preferred mate characteristics. Participants completed a Bem Sex Role Inventory (Bem, 1974) and then rated 28 different characteristics for importance in various opposite-sex relationships including marriage, steady date, single date, one-night stand, and platonic friend. We found the type of relationship had significant effects on preferred mate characteristics whereas sex and sex role orientation had little effect on desirable mate characteristics.