In 2013, romance still matters

'Women may go into marriage with a very strong idea of what a good wife should be and look like, but she often can't live up to her own expectations, because of the pressures of a professional and home life.'

'Women may go into marriage with a very strong idea of what a good wife should be and look like, but she often can't live up to her own expectations, because of the pressures of a professional and home life.'

Published Nov 4, 2013

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London - Convinced romance is dead? Not quite, it turns out.

Half of us still believe that we will eventually find ‘The One’, a survey has found.

And even more of us – 86 percent – believe that being in love is the most important reason for getting married.

By contrast, only six percent said marrying for money made for a happier life.

And less than one percent said money was the most important factor in choosing a partner.

The YouGov survey, of 2 093 respondents, was carried out to mark the launch of the Austen Project, in which contemporary authors reimagine Jane Austen novels.

It found some traditions have endured – 42 percent of those polled said their mother must approve of their future husband or wife. But only five percent said they would turn to their family to help them find a partner, compared with 19 percent who said they had been introduced to their partner by friends.

Nine percent claimed to have met their partner through a dating agency or online, while 40 percent said it was through a social situation.

The first book in the series is by Joanna Trollope, who has written a contemporary version of Sense and Sensibility.

The bestselling author said: “I think Jane Austen would have thoroughly approved of the survey coming out in favour of never marrying without love.

“She would also have disapproved – as most people still do – of marrying just for money.

“But I think that she would have thought that respect came into the romantic mix too, and respect lasts longer than anything – as much in 2013, as it did in 1811.” - Daily Mail

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