Research has found that younger women today seek a tall, dark, handsome, ambitious and rich stranger while the older ones value more deep-rooted qualities such as kindness, reliability and friendship when it comes to their idea of the perfect partner.

A survey of 9,000 women aged 16 to 75 found that wealth and ambition in a man were the two favourite qualities for younger women, with half admitting finding someone prepared to wine and dine them was top of their wish-list, reports the Telegraph.