"The Person I'll Live With"... The Habit Single Men and Women Want Most in a Spouse?

Cleanliness Habits Rank First at 32.5%

Similarity in Lifestyle Habits Also Valued

According to a recent survey, one out of every three single men and women considers "cleanliness" to be the most important lifestyle habit for a future spouse. As married couples are expected to share the same living space, hygiene and attitudes toward dividing housework have emerged as major factors to consider.

Image related to marriage to aid understanding of the article. Pixabay

According to Gayeon, a matchmaking company, on June 18, the company conducted a survey from May 13 to 26 targeting 163 single men and women (72 men and 91 women) on the topic, "What lifestyle habit do you consider most important in a future spouse?"

Cleanliness Habits Ranked First... Attitude Toward Sharing Housework Also Key

The results showed that 32.5% of respondents selected "cleanliness habits," making it the most common answer. This was followed by "attitude toward sharing housework" at 26.4%. "Tidying and organizing habits" accounted for 16.6%, "eating patterns" for 12.3%, and "sleeping patterns" for 9.8%. Other responses made up 2.4%.

The fact that cleanliness habits and attitudes toward sharing housework ranked at the top suggests a growing trend of valuing compatibility in daily life, not just external qualities, when choosing a marriage partner. It also reflects an increasing awareness that differences in hygiene, organizing methods, and attitudes toward housework—which may not be as apparent during dating—can become sources of conflict after marriage.

A separate survey on how similar lifestyle habits should be revealed a similar pattern. From May 27 to June 14, Gayeon asked 200 single men and women (98 men and 102 women) whether it is acceptable for a future spouse to have somewhat different lifestyle habits.

"I Hope Our Lifestyle Habits Are Similar"—Nearly Half Responded

In this survey, 47.5% answered, "I hope our lifestyle habits are similar," making it the most common response. "Some differences are fine" was chosen by 36.5%. This was followed by "Even if there are many differences, we can adjust" at 11.0%, "It's better if they are completely different" at 3.5%, and "other" at 1.5%.

The results indicate that while respondents do not believe lifestyle habits must be exactly the same, many single men and women feel that a certain level of similarity is necessary for a stable marriage.

There were also differences in responses between men and women. Among male respondents, "I hope our lifestyle habits are similar" was the most common answer. In contrast, among female respondents, the responses "I hope our lifestyle habits are similar" and "Some differences are fine" were nearly equal in proportion.

Kyunghwa Cho, a couple manager at Gayeon, commented, "Since differences in lifestyle habits can lead to conflicts in married life, it is important to have enough conversations and check what areas are incompatible." She added, "For a happy marriage, mutual understanding, consideration, and efforts to adjust are essential."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.