by Vanessa Frank

Created on: January 27, 2007   Last Updated: April 23, 2007

When it comes to women it can be difficult to make a generalization for what they are looking for in a man. Sometimes it depends on the type of woman you are dealing with, and at other times it depends on what stage in life a woman is in. At some point they do both look for one common characteristic.

I suppose one factor that plays into this is a girl's environment as she grows up. Some girls are brought up to look for someone who can provide for them financially, partake in religious activities, and raise a family with them. In this case marriage may come early, and the relationship might not be based so much around love as it is the woman's social settings. Love may start this union between man and woman, but it may not be what holds it together because that might be based more on the social environment of the family.

Generation X shows some new traits for woman because at this time many families started to put more stress on a woman's independence. Woman who were raised to be more independent tend to look for more complex qualities in the opposite sex.

Woman who have been socialized to be more independent make the issue of finances a sticky topic. In most cases woman are socialized to think their partner should make a good living, and in many cases the belief is that it should surpass their own. This is not surprising since we still live in a world where men are often paid more than woman for doing the same job with the same qualifications. However, it is surprising that some women are starting to question this aspect of our socialization. These women want to be the bread makers, and they want husbands who can take over the role as the homemaker.

Another area that independent woman differ in is the area of sexuality because they tend to look for a partner who can satisfy them. These women are not the type to get married before going for a few test drives. They aren't going to settle for the lover who expects her to give and never receive. This is an aspect that may be toned down if she looks for a partner to build a nest with, but for some women this will remain a major aspect of the couple's compatibility.

One aspect that both of these woman look for has to do with the way the woman is treated. All women like to feel like they are the best, like the man is lucky to be included in their life. Women want to believe their man choose them because she is better than every other woman out there. This may die off as time passes in the relationship with the first type of woman, but she likely will still see this attitude as the husband interacts with their children. With the independent woman it is likely that she will require this treatment from her mate for the duration of their relationship. Part of this may have to do with the stress she carries from her career. She relies on this aspect of him to reveal itself in the form of actions; it could be in the way he looks at her, or how he opens the doors for her, or by giving her massages, or fancy dinners.

Much of what a woman looks for in a man has to do with the environment she grew up in, and how she was conditioned. For some women it is as simple as finding a man who can support her and their offspring in a financially and religiously stable environment. For the independent woman the characteristics can be more demanding in terms of domestication, and sexuality. However, they both strive to initially find a partner who will treat them as though they are the world.

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