What's really important for women to look for when searching for a man to marry? The most popular and growing characteristics are mutual attraction, dependable character, and maturity.
Chastity used to be important, but that's taken a nosedive since 1939, as did housekeeping skills and neatness.
Max Roser, an economist, recently created a series of charts to illustrate a study published in 2008 about what men and women look for in a spouses, and how these values have changed over time. It's explored in depth at the Washington Post.
We've looked at what women want. Let's check in with the men. The above chart shows that men increasingly search for mutual attraction. There were also sharp increases in the importance of good looks and sociability.
The importance of chastity plummeted over the intervening 69 years. Emotional stability, though, is still very important.
Do any of the results surprise you?
-via Glenn Reynolds
I find it amazing how many people stress physical beauty. It's as if they don't realize that aging is inevitable.