According to a recent report by a matchmaking website in Shanghai, 60 percent of respondents, who were single men and women, said they are willing to share financial responsibilities with their spouse.

In the same survey, 86 percent of the single women agreed that women need a stable income, and close to 50 percent said women should have some savings.

Some might be surprised by the survey results. After all, Chinese people were taught since childhood that men are the bread winners in a family and women should do housework and take care of the children.

This mentality remains prevalent among older people and residents in rural areas. But for the young generation in a cosmopolitan city like Shanghai, the idea that women should just stay at home is an anachronism. As another survey indicates, for a modern career woman, a happy marriage is no longer about being taken care of financially by a man.

Rather, career women put more value on equality in marriage. Many career women choose to work after getting married or having a baby because they like their work and they are good at their jobs, even though their husbands can provide for them.

In an article in the Laodong Daily, a young mother explained why she didn't quit her job and become a full-time housewife after she had her baby. "It's not about money. I feel my life should have a certain independence," she said.

She was also quite insistent that family life would be more harmonious if she could take part in family affairs with her husband.

More and more career women also like to manage the family's finances with their husbands. For example, it is increasingly popular among younger couples to contribute a certain amount of money every month to a family account. All of the family's expenses, such as housing and children's school fees come out of this account. Managing family money together with their husband gives women a sense of independence and a sense of control in their marriages.

For many women of my grandmother and mother's generations, life depended completely on their husbands. If their husbands left them, their lives would be shattered. But now, the lives of career women are not solely defined by their husbands. Even if their marriages end, it doesn't mean the lives of career women are over.

Equality between spouses is not only about sharing financial responsibilities. It extends to providing emotional support to each other. Women also appreciate husbands who can share in the responsibilities of doing housework and taking care of children. In short, modern career women prefer a marriage in which they can share responsibilities in every area with husbands.

That said, it is still quite common for single women in Shanghai to look for men who are rich and have a house because it gives them financial security. This is especially true for women who are getting older and are a bit desperate to get married. But using wealth as the main criteria for finding a husband is impractical, as money cannot bring happiness to a marriage. For modern career women, finding a man who can share their lives is more important.

As single career women are already financially secure, some relationship counselors advise them to be open to the idea of looking for men who earn less than them. Men who are hardworking and have potential should be considered.