What kinds of factors do women consider most important in choosing their marriage partners?

Would-be bridegrooms consider whether their female partners can have babies as the top concern in choosing their spouses, while future brides check closely whether their male partners are mentally ill.

This is part of the outcome in the poll on “priority health factors of would-be spouses” conducted jointly by matchmaker Biennale and dating agency Filling You for 508 singles, including 254 women, across the country from March 26-31.

About two out of five males questioned cited as most important whether their spouses can get pregnant, and three out of 10 females considered mental problems as the most important factor in seeking their partners.

Mental problems have come second with 18.5 percent for men, followed by fatal diseases with 12.2 percent and whether sexual relations are possible with 10.2 percent. Women have chosen cancer and other fatal diseases as the next important factor with 20.9 percent, followed by possibility of sexual relations with18 percent and illness history of family members with 12 percent.

“Males considered possibility of pregnancy most important as they are strong in their instinct to reproduce,” said Sohn Dong-kyu, chief of prime couple arrangement of Biennale. “Females are inclined to be alert to unreasonable or irrational way of thinking which they can hardly understand.”

There is no difference between male and female in methods of checking health of each others partner. Both sides tried to find out each other partner’s health problems directly or indirectly while dating, posting 38.2 percent for males and 66.5 percent for the females, the largest number.

“Through daily life” came second with 34.3 percent of males and 24.4 percent of females, followed by “checking health of family members of their partners” with 15.5 percent in male and 6.1 percent in females. What is interesting is that as many as 12 percent of the males replied that they “formally exchanged medical records,” compared to 3 percent of women.

Health was cited as the most important factor in choosing their spouses by 66.1 percent of the males and 30.7 percent of the females. Health was cited important next to “character and values” by 22 percent of males, next to “appearance” by 6.3 percent. In the case of females, health was cited important next to “wealth” by 26.4 percent, next to “character and values” by 24.5 percent and next to “home environment” by 12.3 percent.

“Both males and females feel burdened in requesting medical records from their partners although they think health is important,” said Sohn Sook-hyeon, manager of Filling You. “This has come under the emotional background that they do not want to create an awkward atmosphere or impression that they are picky in case other terms as possible spouses are good.”