Culinary and debating skills make the best wife

Things have moved on since the 1950s, but a new survey suggests that the best way to a man's heart remains a woman's culinary skills. A survey carried out for the Daily Mail Ideal Home Show asked 2,309 men and women what they thought made a good wife or partner.

A whopping 69% of men said that a woman who could manage family finances was important and nearly 60% said it was important that their partner had a mind of their own and could hold their own in an argument. Some things hadn't changed since the 1950s though, with 48% of the men questioned admitting that a woman's ability to rustle up a top meal was the most highly rated skill in a wife.

As you might expect, what women think men want and what men actually want is somewhat different. One in four women thought blokes wanted a women with an understanding of the offside rule, while just one in ten men thought sporting knowledge was important.

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