London - Divorced men with children were once considered poor marriage material for women.
But a study has found that women are now more than happy to marry men in this situation - and they don’t mind if they are unattractive or old if they earn a decent salary.
The survey of a sample of more than 500 unmarried Americans found that, compared to 22 years ago, women are happier to marry men with marital histories.
Now they are more likely follow the example of Woody Allen’s wife Soon-Yi Previn. She married twice-divorced father Allen, 80, despite being 35 years his junior. An almost identical study in 1994 found that women were less inclined at that time to wed men who had previously been married.
The researchers from the University of Amsterdam also found that women are more likely to marry men who earn much more than themselves.
One theory for the change in women’s attitudes to divorcees is that they think men who have married before can commit to long-term relationships and are attractive enough for another woman to want as her partner.
“Being previously married could potentially function as a cue to good mate value,” the researchers said.
Mail On Sunday