Your may think that the criteria for choosing a life partner is different for different people. But apparently, most Indians seem to be following a set rule.
According to a survey by a matrimonial website Jeevansaathi.com on preference trends of unmarried men and women, when looking for life partners, family background (caste, mother tongue) and physical appearance seem to be the key factors considered by men going for an arranged marriage. As far as women are concerned, p
rofession and education are the things they take into account. Interestingly, physical appearance is of least importance when looking for prospective grooms.
Shilpika Sinha, an architect who recently got married to a guy of her parents choice, agrees and says that financial stability of a guy is really important. “Even if the girl is working and earning well, many a times it happens that she has to leave the job and take care of the household chores and bring up kids. It would leave everyone in the family upset if the husband is not earning well in this situation,” she says.
And while most women think on similar lines, there are a few for whom looks matter a lot. Rita Gupta (name changed on request), a 36-year-old married lady, agreed to marry a guy of her family’s choice after a failed love affair. “I didn’t even meet my husband, who is an engineer, before marriage thinking that my family would have chosen the right guy. But I got the worst shock of my life when I saw him for the first time. His short height just put me off. I still hesitate going out with him for social functions,” she says.
Interestingly, for guys looks matter more because they want their wives to be presentable.
Akshay Tomar, who works with the hospitality sector, says, “Guys want a wife, who is modern, so that they can take them to their official parties and make them meet their friends. Not-so-good-looking partners leave you embarrassed in front of other colleagues’ wives.”