Deal breakers. We’ve all got ‘em. But when it comes to picking a mate, some of them seem to weigh in a little more heavily for men than others … literally.
However, when respondents were asked to list the top three traits that could contribute to divorce after marriage, weight gain was not on that list (so the message is if you put on a few pounds after saying “I do,” you won’t be on the street?).
Here are the top six least desirable traits in a long-term partner listed by men (and the corresponding stat for women) in order from most undesirable to least:
1. She has been unfaithful. In a time when people tend to question if monogamy is still possible, it was encouraging to see that the top deal breaker for men in a fiancee would be that she has been unfaithful to him; 71 percent of guys surveyed stated this would end it.
Women place even more importance on fidelity, however, with an unsurprising 88 percent identifying that as their most undesirable trait in a partner (a full 17 percent disparity between men and women). And this was listed as the top deal breaker that could lead to divorce by respondents with 82 percent saying it would be grounds for nullification. In other words, it’s nice to know that for either s*x, when the idea of a long-term commitment is in the picture, both sexes generally want it to be between two people, not more.
2. She has bad hygiene. Keep it clean, people! Apparently, failing to brush your teeth regularly, groom where you need it, and generally stay unsoiled is important to your mate (phew … we, for one, are glad to hear this). Still, the interesting thing is that men are willing to put up with much more in the way of bad hygiene than we think, with 59 percent saying it would be a deal breaker for them.
That means 41 percent of guys are fine marrying a woman who forgets to get a bikini wax regularly or use deodorant? Wow, good to know. On the flip side, women once again stated this as a more definite deal breaker, with 73 percent stating this as an undesirable trait. Guys, if you take a shower and use mouthwash regularly, your odds apparently just went up!
3. She is unemployed. Well, the good news in this economy is that apparently having a job is not a prerequisite for finding a man. That said, most guys still don’t want to date a gold digger, since 53 percent said that they would find a woman being unemployed to be a turn-off.
Once again, women said this was an even bigger deal breaker for them, as 69 percent stated this was an undesirable trait in a mate. This one also took third place as a trait both men and women thought might be a divorce predictor (68 percent felt unemployment could end a marriage). Seems some stereotypes die hard, and women would still like a man who can provide (or at least one whom they don’t have to support).
4. She is bad with money. Closely tied to the unemployed thing, men do not want a Mrs. who mishandles money. For 52 percent of guys, this made no cents … or sense. Considering that fights about finances are one of the top things that break couples up, this is probably not a bad deal breaker to have on a list … for men or women (59 percent of whom list this as undesirable as well).
This one also took second place on the list of traits that men and women listed as a thing that could precipitate divorce, with 69 percent listing it as a marriage ender. In other words, mind your dollars.
5. She is a smoker. This one is clearly a preference thing. Some people smoke, some don’t. Some don’t mind it, some do. It’s 50/50 here for men with 50 percent of guys saying they don’t want to kiss an ashtray.
The percentage was higher for women again, but by a smaller margin than other areas (60 percent of women said this is an undesirable trait). Bottom line, heavy smoking still placed in the top deal breakers, so you might want to find out where your date stands before you light up.
6. She is overweight. Here is where the stats flip. More men than women care if their partner is overweight. We can’t say we’re shocked by this, but it is interesting that women outrank men in every category as far as caring more about deal breakers … until this one.
Only 19 percent of women said weight mattered for them, whereas 26 percent of men said having an overweight fiancee would be a deal breaker. What is interesting to note is that this ranked sixth on the list. At least on the whole, more men care that their potential wives are loyal, healthy, and financially solvent rather than just skinny.
No comments:
Post a Comment