You're probably just unaware of what constitutes status in this context. This is a well studied phenomenon, and it makes sense from a biological perspective.
People might (and do) things which are out of biological perspective.
What constitutes "status" then? I interpreted it as "socio - economic" status
It's not that difficult. For each question hold all other variables constant. If voting, which man does a woman prefer to date: 1. A rich man, a poor man. 2. A handsome man, an ugly man. 3. A tall man, a short man. 4. A strong man, a weak man. 5. A confident man, an unconfident man. 6. An assertive man, a passive man. Etc. The more of the attractive traits, the higher status
Pretty common for men with a college degree and / or wealthy to date women with no degree and / or no money. Pretty uncommon the other way around.