Man drought

[MotherBear]

Single women ask 'Where have the good fellas gone?'
Sunday December 3, 2006
By Jane Phare

Reannan Tyson is already lamenting the man drought - and she's only 22. The MAC make-up artist, who turns heads when she poses for a photo in Auckland's Chancery courtyard, puts it in plain language. "There are just no guys around. There's a definite drought."

The shortage of decent men to date is one of the most popular topics among the dozen women who work with Tyson. Eighty per cent of them are single, and they have all noticed the shortage of men. "And they're all gorgeous, they're all smart," she says.

Tyson's ideal date would be in his late 20s or 30s, smack in the middle of the worst age group for the man drought. She admits she is picky. Many New Zealand men lacked style and confidence, she said. They weren't ambitious and didn't set goals.

And what else?

"They need to have good taste in music ... and shoes. They have to have the whole package, and they rarely do."

Forty-year-old Maree, a researcher, remembers being picky in her 20s. Now she looks at women in that age group and wants to advise them, "If you find someone, go for it. Don't muck about. Get in quick". While Maree is now dating, she spent many years as a single woman hoping for Mr Right. The lack of eligible men was "a huge issue", she said.

"When I was young and in my 20s, I never thought I would end up like this. I always thought that finding the right person was only a couple of years away. Now I look back and wonder how I got to this point without meeting that person."

Maree and her many single girlfriends in their late 30s and early 40s have all noticed the shortage of eligible men. "A lot of my single girlfriends are really beautiful, intelligent girls, nothing wrong with them. But they just can't find a man. [The men are] all taken or else total geeks."

Maree is currently dating a divorced man, something she had vowed she would not do when she was in her 20s. "It's a terrible thing to say, but divorced men are a good thing. For us single older women, we'd be history if it wasn't for marriage breakups and divorced men, because there would be none there."

And foremost in many women's minds are their biological clocks. Says Maree: "Losing the chance of having children was a bigger deal for me than finding a man because I have a biological clock. I can still fall in love when I'm 50, but I can't have a child when I'm 50."

[Debd]

Amazing!
A good market for shipping in some of our good-looking male friends from our home countries then? ;)

[MotherBear]

Yes, but is being good looking and having good taste in music and shoes on the Skills Shortages List? ?

Reading that article, it certainly sounds like they should be.

[fisheress]

My 17 year old son has already said that he will need to go home to the UK when it is time to find a wife!!!!?????

Fisheress

[Dawn]

Find a wife??!! Like she's just sitting around waiting to be found so that her insignificant life can be made significant by being found by a man??!! :-?

:-[Sorry, can't control my Marxist feminist streak when it rears it's head.

The one excuse he has is that he's very young lol

Men and their ill-considered remarks about women!!!!!

[fisheress]

I don't think the wife bit was meant to be derogatory to women Dawn.
I have brought my son up better than that.
It was actually said in jest?!?!
Fisheress

[Dawn]

No need to get defensive Fisheress, my remark was also in jest. My son makes remarks about domestic chores being womens work even though he sees Gary do the ironing, the hoovering and all the cooking. I think he does it just to wind me up but wind me up he does!! Criticising your parenting skills or insinuating that you hadn't brought him up correctly was about as far from my intent as I am from NZ right now.

Sorry you felt that I had intended to insult you and yours. No offence meant

Although I firmly believe that most men are so egocentric that they think the whole world revolves around them. Sad, disillusioned souls but you gotta love 'em.

[fisheress]

No worries!
Fisheress

[Debd]

The trouble with typing words hey! I think text messages and e-mails are often taken in the wrong context - without seeing the facial expression or tone of voice at that time!!! It can drive you mad!!!!!

Today I was in a shop and the radio was on, talking about the man draught, (yes it is major news here, ha!).... anyway it seems they have found the answer 'Kiwi style' and that is "To stop looking!"
Ha, simple! ;)

[Glenda]

My 17 year old son has already said that he will need to go home to the UK when it is time to find a wife!!!!?????

I must admit I was wondering whether he really meant he had to go to the UK (as Kiwi women were inferior), or was joking about the sheer number of available women here making it totally and utterly unnecessary! Anyway, I think it is good that a 17 year old can think in terms of a future committed relationship rather than just 'playing the field'. :)

It is reported that many Kiwi women are supposed to be fussy about their men and too liberated for the traditional Kiwi man(!). Other reports have said that it is just the fact that more men than women go abroad and stay there. Perhaps Taffy's next venture could be to set up an international dating site to satisfy the demand! :D