‘Feminist’ and ‘mama’s boy’ make the least desirable dates in Korea, survey finds

Among divorced singles seeking new relationships, Korean men preferred the least women they perceived to be “feminist” as a potential date. Meanwhile, Korean women showed the most aversion to “mama's boy” types as possible dating partners, a survey showed Monday.

According to the survey of 538 divorcees (269 men and 269 women), conducted by South Korean matchmaking agencies Only U and Bien-Aller, the highest percentage of male respondents at 35.7 percent were disinclined to date women they perceived as “feminists,” while 42 percent of female respondents showed strong reluctance to dating "mama's boy" men who are overly dependent on their mothers.

Among male respondents, 29.4 percent expressed their aversion to “kimchi-nyeo,” a derogatory term Korean men use to refer to materialistic and shallow women, followed by 20.5 percent who avoid “mama’s girls,” women who rely excessively on their mothers, and 14.4 percent who shun women with narcissistic tendencies.

Among women, 36.8 percent of female respondents said a “patriarchal man,” would be their least desirable dating partner, followed by a “narcissist,” standing at 16 percent. Lastly, 5.2 of Korean women themselves said that a man identifying as a “feminist” would be their least desirable dating partner.

Regarding how they would react if they realized they didn't like their date, 43.1 percent of men and 41.3 percent of women said they would just excuse themselves and leave. Meanwhile, 40.9 percent of men and 44.2 percent of women said they would remain on the date for the sake of politeness.