To understand what successful men look for in a woman, we have to look into how roles and responsibilities have shifted over the past few years.
Success noun \sək-ˈses\: the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence.
The women of our generation have become far more independent than their predecessors. The female workforce has greatly evolved, achieving places of power and success. Looking out onto Main Street, one can behold twenty-first century Rosie the Riveters exiting town cars into granite and glassbuildings in Jimmy Choos and Christian Louboutins.
When exploring the developments of modern-day woman, you have to look into her counterpart: man. In ancient times, and by ancient I mean prior to the 1980s, men's idea of a perfect woman was one-dimensional. Men sought out women who had the biological qualifications such as wide hips and full breasts for bearing children, as well as women who would generally make good "housewives." It is easy to say the needs of successful men haven't changed and dismiss the matter, but that is not true. The last recession had a sobering effect on American families: A singular breadwinner is a thing of the best. Men realized the need for two support beams in a family and soon the notion turned into an ideal, then a standard.
My website, SeekingArrangement.com, is the largest website where generous men can meet attractive women. Currently, the website has over 1.7 million members worldwide. The website is home to many successful men (the average annual income of men on the website is $250,000 with the highest 10% averaging a network of 10 million each), all of whom actively seek companions, dates or soul mates. We surveyed three thousand of these men to find out exactly what a successful man notices first in a woman.
Almost all of these qualities were the same as what they notice in job seekers. Though successful men are not usually so public about their emotions, a bad breakup is seen as a scarlet letter to their circle of friends or colleagues. With that in mind, SeekingArrangement.com identified five of the most important qualities successful men notice first when considering dating a woman and assessing the possibility of a future with her.
The fifth most important quality successful men noticed in women was their hair. Most disapproved of women who had unkempt locks and/or sported an unnatural color or style. A man of stature is under constant scrutiny, but also keep in mind that he is likely an alpha male in his own right; running into colleagues or business partners at lunch would prove awkward and deeply embarrassing if he is seen with a moving Hot Topic ad. Keeping hair to a natural hue and focusing on how healthy it looks ups your chances greatly. After all, hair growth and quality is highly dependent on hormones and nutrition -- an alpha male wants to show that he picked the best out of the dating pool.
A sense of self was the fourth on the list. A common deal breaker with employers during an interview is a candidates pretending or exaggerating their understanding of a certain subject. Our survey found that this was also a big pet peeve among successful men looking to date, particularly in cases where women lied about the extent of their knowledge when it came to current events, politics and culture.
The way a woman carries herself when she walks, or her gait, was third on the list. 26% of those surveyed said that a proper balance of speed and posture exuded grace, which caught their attention regardless of what task they had at hand. Gait defines public presence.
Posture was the second most important quality. It shows manners and confidence, two key qualities successful men sought in wives. 78% claimed that beautiful women who slouched greatly decreased their overall beauty.
The number one most important quality or indicator that successful men noticed in a woman was the quality of verbal and written communication. Although most used text or email messaging, 53% of the men surveyed preferred verbal communication. Misspellings or inappropriate abbreviations were considered deal breakers. The ability to hold a conversation is vital when dealing with men of high power and wealth, as most meetings and deals are still handled face to face.