Science & Nature

The Perfect Wife of 1955 leaves men cold

By team ⋅ March 29, 2008 ⋅  Email this post ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

The Daily Mail, 5 March

In 1955, being the perfect wife meant having dinner ready, a warming smile to greet your husband, and a ribbon in your hair. However, the classic Good Wife’s Guide of 1955 is well past its sell-by date when it comes to modern men and women. A survey in this year’s Daily Mail Ideal Home Show found that women who stand up to their husbands, have a strong understanding of household finances, and enjoy a drink have the happiest spouses.

The study questioned men on their perfect wife, finding that two-thirds of men longed for a woman who could manage money. Unsurprisingly, food remains the way to a man’s heart with 48 per cent of men admitting that they considered cooking a top priority in a perfect wife. But cake-making skills still left all but 9 per cent cold.

Interestingly, one in four women believed that men look for a wife who knows about sport, with only 10 per cent of men thinking this was important. It also turns out that a mere 39 per cent of men dislike being dragged around shops, compared to the whopping 72 per cent of women that guessed that all men hate shopping. Four in ten women thought their male counterparts would hate questions like, ‘does this make my bum look big?’ But only 24 per cent found it irritating! We wonder how far they will go…