What Indian men want in a wife

Commenting on the survey results, Gourav Rakshit, chief operating officer, Shaadi.com said, “The online poll received over 8,500 responses. The results indicate that women want a life partner who they are compatible with, who are settled and financially stable. Men want a partner who can be a good friend and shares the same tastes.”

Career oriented girls
According to the survey, 83.5% men said they would want a partner ‘who is career-oriented’.

“I don’t think it would be fair on my part to not allow my wife to work. My work takes up most of my time. I leave for office at 8am and return at 9pm. I’m out for 13 hours every day. My wife will go mad staying alone for so long. Then, to pass her time, she will go shopping and waste money. It is better to have a double income and then spend than to have a single income and spend twice the amount,” says Ajay Singh, a management trainee.

For Ravi Kumar, senior officer, sales, “Having a career-oriented wife will not only add to our income, but will also help in my career decisions. I can’t share my work-related problems with somebody who is not working or who doesn’t understand my job. If I am thinking of switching companies, then she can help me with the decision. But someone who is not interested in having a career, will have no say in my professional life as long as I’m getting a salary.”

Should appreciate cricket, not the cute players
Cricket is religion in India and couples are known to have fights for not sharing a mutual interest in cricket. With the IPL season around the corner, men definitely have cricket on their mind and 76.6% of them would want a partner who would “love to watch IPL for the game and not for a cute player”.

For Nikhil Arora, a web developer, “It is impressive when girls talk about cricket. But the moment they start giving lame reasons like – ‘Oh that player is cute’ or ‘I like that player so I watch the match’ – the whole impression is ruined. There is more to cricket than just the cute players. My ex-girlfriend used to pray for the rival team to win. She never supported my favourite team because there was always some cute player in the opposing team. That was ridiculous. I won’t tolerate that in my wife. Either have no interest in the game at all or be interested in the game and not in the guy (player).”

Should watch news, have views
While some men want a cricket-loving partner, 73.8 % men admitted that they would prefer partners “who like to keep themselves updated about the latest news.” “I don’t want my partner to read tomes on the latest issues, but she should be aware of major events in the country and outside. I don’t want her to know the minute details, like who won from which seat or by how many seats in the elections, but she should know about the topics being discussed frequently in the news and our peer groups. I don’t want her to sound lame,” says Sushant Sharma, a web developer.

Colleagues cannot be life partners
While office romance could have a few advantages, like, getting to spend time together and your lover being right in front of you all the time, it can also have a disadvantage. According to the survey, 66.1% men don’t want a partner from the same organization. “Working with your wife in the same organization could be dangerous. I will not marry any of my office colleagues. Getting scolded in front of your wife, or getting less increment than her will definitely hurt my ego. I will not see her as a life partner then. In fact, she’ll be a competitor for me, which might lead to fights and arguments, and I clearly don’t want that,” says Aditya Roy*, a bank manager.

While it would be a matter of competition for some, others, like Shashank Kumar, an engineer, feels, “Having your wife as a colleague would mean taking office gossip home. I will not feel like I am away from work. Even if I love my office, I would definitely need a break. That will not be possible if we both work in the same organization. Also, if somebody says anything to my wife, I’ll not tolerate that and one of us may end up losing our job. So, it is better to not have a colleague as your wife.”

What are the most annoying traits in girls?

Get out of the world of reality TV shows
80% men in the survey said, “Women obsessed with reality TV shows” are annoying. “Do you think real life has less drama than reality shows?” asks Kishore Singh, a software engineer. “Imagine you are talking to your wife over the phone, and she cuts your call when her favourite reality show starts. My ex-girlfriend was like that. She would not receive my call or reply to my messages when Bigg Boss was on. I had a tough time. She was so involved with the show that even when we were out or talking on the phone, she would discuss it. Like, seriously? I had enough of her TV drama and can’t tolerate someone with similar tastes again,” says Ashish Ranjan*,
a deputy area manager.

Get off the phone
Another thing that men don’t like about girls is their constantly being on the phone. The survey said, “78.2% men find women who are always on the phone irritating.” According to Siddharth Singh, a management trainee, “This habit of always being on the phone is quite irritating. I don’t understand, in ladkiyon ke pass itni baatein aati kahan se hain. If your partner is constantly on the phone, apart from the phone bill, what I fear the most is her sharing too much with her friends. Aur phir doston ki toh aadat hoti hai advice dene ki – tu aisa kar toh tera husband tujh pe aur kharch karega. Also, when I am around, I would want her to spend maximum time with me, and not on phone. And when I am not around, she can visit her friends or do something productive.”

Food photographer gets no likes from men and women
There is one thing that both men and women find irritating – clicking and uploading food pictures. While 36.5% women (in the last survey) said they don’t like it when men upload food pictures, 74.7% men find this habit in women quite irritating. “I am a big foodie. I will not wait for my partner to click the food first and then allow me to eat it. Once, my girlfriend and I went out for ice cream. She didn’t let me eat it because she wanted to click it from every angle. Then, there was some issue in uploading it so she made me wait more. I had to beg to her as the ice cream was melting. If you don’t want to have it, at least let me!” says Amar Gupta, a media professional.