The survey, conducted among 5,000 respondents in India was based on parameters like working hours, professional stress, sector culture, field trips, shifting base, etc. It also interestingly revealed that marketing professionals were the least sought after life partners. The dynamics of partner preference have only begun changing post recession in India, says Savita Dutta, a matchmaker based in north Delhi. She adds, "Parents in India lay utmost emphasis on a stable future, and of late the fascination for IT professionals has reduced in that respect. IT jobs are not as stable anymore, especially at the starting level, and those guys find it the toughest to find partners of their choice. Mid-level managers are still better off."
But the preference for finance professionals is primarily there because it's assumed they earn handsome packages, courtesy their industry. Says Sakshi Chawla*, 23, "I was initially engaged to a guy who had his own business, but we never saw common ground and split. I am now married to a finance professional who has lived alone abroad, earned a lot of money, and is able to lead a certain kind of lifestyle."
The lifestyle that women need is not something that software professionals are able to provide at times, says Geetika Kapoor, mother of two and a rookie matchmaker. She says, "My husband is from the IT field, and I understand the kind of time constraints people in this field have. The hours are crazy. When I started suggesting matches for people, I noticed that many girls who are software professionals themselves would not want their partners to be from the same field." Says Kapoor's daughter, Garima Kapoor Vohra (28), an IT professional, "I know the kind of hours we had to put in and I was not keen on getting married to someone who had the same kind of schedule. It's sustainable for a few years, but after that one cannot continue with the crazy hours."
Perhaps the "crazy hours" are a big consideration for women because the survey also reveals that even though nearly 80% of the women are willing to work after marriage, 50% of them might call it quits after having a child. Also, when it came to income expectations, nearly 70% of the women expected their spouses to earn between `50,000 and 1 lakh per month. Almost 20% wanted to marry a man earning more than `1 lakh per month. Says Sakshi Khurana (59), "While we were looking for a match for our daughter, we wanted someone who could guarantee a stable future for her. And salaries of `30,000-50,000 are so common these days. Also, since our daughter was anyway earning almost `40,000, we wanted someone who would bring home a pay packet of at least `70,000-80,000."
(Some names have been changed on request)
