Single women who have spent their lives building a career are now increasingly turning to high-end matchmakers to help them find love.
The new caliber of matchmakers, some charging up to $200,000 a year, pride themselves on being highly selective - running background checks not just on their female clients but also potential dates.
Unable to have online profiles on dating sights for fear of tarnishing their career reputation and with no time to meet men out at bars; wealthier, executive queen bee single women are turning to high-class help instead.
Love costs: The new caliber of matchmakers, some charging up to $200,000 a year, pride themselves on being highly selective
Amber Kelleher, of Kelleher International, told the Daily Beast: 'What’s hard for women is you don’t know if the guy you just met is married or has a stable job. Attractive women have a harder time. There’s no screening process.
'They like the security of us meeting them first. Granted, we can’t guarantee if the guys are as good as they sound, but if these men are going to submit to a background check and a litany of questions, they must be at least interested and sincere about getting into a relationship.'
Margaret Griffith, who runs the New York's Premier Matchmaking, said that high-powered career woman have a hard time meeting new people in ordinary circumstances that might comes easily for others.
She said: 'There are challenges. It’s not the best of ideas to date within your work circle. And as these women spend so much time at work, there is a lack of exposure. Where does a typical person go?
'They go to the gym in the morning - not a great idea to date someone at the gym. If it doesn’t work out, then you have to change schedules or gyms. After work, they have clients and socialize. They can’t date their clients!'
'They outsource everything else in their lives - fitness, jobs, cleaning - so why not this?'
And if the women go out too much, it could hurt their reputation, says Amy Andersen of Linx Dating, which specialises in Silicon Valley millionaires.
And it seems that the old adage of 'men are intimidated by high-powered women,' does indeed hold true.
Ms Andersen, who also provides date coaching, encourages her clients to play up their strengths, including success and smarts, but she advises to deal them 'in the right fashion' with an accentuated femininity.
She said: 'It’s very challenging for high-powered women to get a date. They’ve had to adopt certain characteristics to get ahead - aggression, being tough, ball busting - and in the dating world they will carry over more masculine characteristics, and guys don’t want that.
'[Don't] downplay your achievements, but let the man be the fricking man!'
The matchmakers: Amy Andersen of Linx Dating, which specialises in Silicon Valley millionaires (left), and Amber Kelleher, of Kelleher International (right)
The matchmakers all claim a high success rate, thanks to their preliminary screening process, and the fact they only take on 25per cent of potential clients - refusing 'difficult, rigid' women.
They added that, much like the trend in speaking openly about online dating, wealthier women are no longer viewing matchmakers as 'a dirty little secret', but rather as a necessity.
'Women are warming up to getting used to doing something like this and using our services,' Ms Andersen said.
'I mean, they outsource everything else in their life—fitness, jobs, cleaning—so why not this?'
Interestingly, the Fifty Shades of Grey trend is also filtering through to the matchmakers and their clients requests.
Ms Andersen explained: 'A couple of individuals have said they want a Christian Grey … they don’t necessarily say they want to be dominated, but they do ask for that character.'
'Most [high-powered] women, when they come home, want someone else in charge,' added Ms Kelleher. 'We all want to be a passenger in someone else’s car, but you gotta find the right guy.'
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