Abstract
This study was conducted to investigate the ideal characteristics of husbands from the perspective of married women before and after marriage. Participants were 228 first-time married Thai women, aged
25-40 years, residing in Bangkok. All paticipants married Thai husbands and were issued legal marriage
licenses. They were categorized into three groups: (1) women married < 3 years (n = 00); (2) women
married for 3 to 5 years (n=54), and (3) women married more than 5 years (n=00). The survey employed
a questionaire for gathering information regarding the ideal characteristics of husbands.
Findings:
1. Among the top five ideal characteristics of husbands that the married women in all three groups
emphasized before and after marriage were (1) honesty/fidelity; (2) love, care, and understanding; and
(3) attention and care of family members.
2. After marriage, the ideal characteristics of husbands that were significantly less important before
marriage were as follows:
- Women married less than 3 years showed less concern about (1) looks; (2) figure; (3) physical
appearance; (4) manners, and (5) singles status;
- Women married 3 - 5 years showed less concern about (1) looks; (2) figure; (3) physical appearance;
(4) attractiveness; and (5) single status;
- Women married more than 5 years showed less concern about (1) looks; and (2) figure.
3. After marriage, the ideal characteristics of husbands that were significantly more important than
before marriage were as follows:
- Women married less than 3 years showed more concern about (1) looks and industriousness
toward work; and (2) occupation;
- Women married 3 - 5 years showed more concern about (1) Attention to and care of family
members;
- Women married more than 5 years did not show more concern about any characteristic.
4. After marriage, the ideal characteristcs of husbands that had not changed from before marriage in
all groups of married women were listed in descending order: (1) love, care, and understanding; (2) honesty/
fidelity; (3) general personality; (4) emotional stability; (5) relationship with husband’s family; (6)
self-responsibility; (7) morality; (8) relationship with wife’s family; (9) intelligence; (10) financial status;
(11) education; (12) age; (13) social status; (14) sexual activity; (15) leisure activity; and (16) virginity
