Executive desires disclosed

SOUTH Africa’s single executives seek beautiful heroines and tall wealthy heroes for their happilyever-afters.

A survey of more than 3 250 MatchVIP members – signed up to the professional matchmaking service – revealed men in senior management positions go for looks while women entrepreneurs, CEOs and managing directors, are seduced by the number of digits on a payslip.

MatchVIP owner and dating coach Bonita Grobbelaar said 91% of women were concerned with the earnings of a possible partner, compared to 53% of surveyed men.

“Engineers, according to MatchVIP statistics, are the worst paid professionals in the country. Ladies seduced by status should rather cast their net in the banking and investing pool, where professionals’ payslips reflect a more favourable fairytale.

“Failing that, they may want to hang around the Eskom cafeteria as Eskom employees in relatively senior positions seem to outearn their peers from other industries and companies by far.”

Grobbelaar has yet to meet a man who did not list attraction as a top requirement for a potential partner.

“It’s a fact; men prioritise looks above anything else. Only 22% of men would consider dating an overweight female while women, by contrast are more forgiving with 59% of them willing to date a man with a boep.”

Over 80% of the executives, aged between 29 and 50, are “slim or athletic”, working in the country’s major banks, telecommunication companies and financial management enterprises.

Jasmin Kooverjee, principal psychologist at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, said professional women want partners to match “their ability in terms of financial earnings”.