About 70 percent of Chinese women expect their future husbands to have a home and a steady income as two preconditions for saying "I do", according to a survey released on Wednesday.

A majority of the men polled said they would get married when they have secured a stable income, according to a survey jointly conducted by the Chinese Association of Marriage and Family Studies, a committee of matchmaking service industries under the China Association of Social Workers, and Baihe.com, a major matchmaking website.

However, only 48 percent of the male respondents agreed that a home is an essential prerequisite for marriage.

The survey, which polled 32,676 people nationwide aged between 20 and 60, found that 40 percent of the female respondents regarded a public servant as the ideal occupation for Mr Right, while 38 percent of male respondents would like their future wives to be teachers.

"The civil service is viewed as a decent career choice in China, an 'iron rice bowl' occupation with a stable income and benefits," said Su Qin, an agony aunt in Beijing.

Su also said Chinese men usually assume teachers are gentle, good at communicating and, with two long holidays a year, have more time to care for family members, which all fit their traditional requirements for good wives.