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Only virgin brides wanted in India: Survey
An overwhelming 77% of 2,499 men surveyed in 11 Indian cities said they would reject brides who admitted to have premarital sex.
Most Indian men expect their wives to be virgins before marriage and would refuse to wed a woman who admits to having had premarital sex, said an opinion poll in a weekly news magazine on Saturday.
About 72 per cent of 2,499 men surveyed in 11 Indian cities expected their wives to be virgins before marriage, the poll published in the latest edition of India Today magazine said.
An overwhelming 77 per cent of those surveyed in the country, known for its sexually conservative culture, said they would reject women who admitted to having had premarital sex.
Thirty-five per cent believed premarital sex was wrong while 25 per cent said it was "perfectly alright." But only 46 per cent of respondents admitted to having sex for the first time after marriage.
The poll was conducted by India Today with AC Nielsen and Indian market research firm ORG-Marg.
The questions were posed to men between aged between 18 and 55 in cities including New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore, the magazine said.
According to the magazine, "Virginity continues to be confused with chastity (by the Indian male)."
About half the men surveyed said sex was very important in their lives, 76 per cent voted for equal pleasure for men and women during sex while 64 per cent felt women were as enthusiastic about sex as them. About 65 per cent of those surveyed had sex before the age of 27, the survey said.
Eighty per cent of Indian men said having sex with their wives was their marital right while 42 per cent admitted to having "a few" sexual partners outside marriage.
In what could set alarm bells ringing for AIDS prevention groups, only 38 per cent of men felt condoms were "a must use" while 24 per cent said, they "spoiled" sexual pleasure.
Six per cent of the men voted former Miss World and Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai their fantasy woman while 16 per cent idolised acquaintances and others.
Fifty-four per cent of respondents said their favourite attire for women was the traditional Indian dress, the sari, with 38 per cent voting for the salwar-kameez or long shirt and pyjamas. Just eight per cent voted for Western attire -bikinis, skirts and trousers.
