What Men Want

Remember that movie What Women Want, where Mel Gibson is given the “gift” of hearing women’s thoughts? Men always say that women are so hard to figure out, but guess what? Guys aren’t any easier to decipher. Fortunately, AOL Personals comes to the rescue once again with more sage-like wisdom on dating, love and marriage. Today, ladies, we will learn the number one thing that men are really looking for in a wife. This should be good.

Men want someone who is…like their mother.

While I’m sure this doesn’t take into account men who have moms bordering on psychotic (although you never know…), is this what guys really want? And why? Do they want someone to take care of them, cook, clean, and kiss their boo-boos? Does this mean I need to find a guy whose mom doesn’t enjoy cooking, sports, or rap music? That shouldn’t be too hard, right?

According to a study conducted by researcher Christine Whalen (who also authored Why Smart Men Want Smart Women), men also want a woman who has similar achievements to mom, meaning that if mom stayed home with the kids, so should his wife. Or if mom has a graduate degree, so should the ideal spouse.

Here are some other facts from the article:

” — 72 percent of mothers of high-achieving men worked outside the home after they had children.

— Among those men, 75 percent agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “Men are more attracted to women who are successful in their careers.”

— Men who grew up with working moms were almost twice as likely to marry a woman who makes $50,000 or more per year.

— 62 percent of high-achieving single men disagreed with this statement: “Women who are stay-at-home parents are better mothers than women who work outside the home.”

OK, so weigh in–what do you folks think about this information? Men, agree or disagree? I’m especially interested in the opinions of men who had less-than-stellar mothers. Women, have you found that the males you’ve dated (or married) have wanted you to be like mom?