Survey: 68% of men would date an unemployed woman, 80% of women would not date an unemployed man

This article in Spanish is on the top of Meneame right now, with most comments along the lines of the one right there. While not entirely surprising, it's nice to see some concrete numbers. Also keep in mind that this is a survey done in Spanish, and would likely differ somewhat if conducted with an English audience, though the general outcome (men don't mind dating women without jobs but women prefer someone employed) would probably not change. Some of the article:

In times of crisis it is unfortunately very common that one person in a couple ends up losing his or her job. This situation, however, does not affect men and women equally. According to a survey, men do not have a problem with dating an unemployed woman, but for women it is an obstacle in starting a relationship.

The meeting site mobifriends.com conducted a study showing that 68% of men would have no problem dating a woman who was unemployed, because they give more importance to love.

The same study shows that for women, however, this situation is not desirable. 80 of women would not date an unemployed man and would feel uncomfortable "maintaining" (paying for) him.

The site mentions that the study reflects the conservative ideal in society, where it is socially accepted for the man to be the main source of household income.

The last two paragraphs are equally obvious: doctors, lawyers and the like have more appeal, and the unemployed often don't feel confident enough to start dating someone.


Right in the middle of the article though is a link to a related one from last year. In a survey conducted on young couples, unemployed men were more likely (three times more) to suffer abuse while for women it was the opposite - women who made more than their partner were more likely to be abused.