Women are "too choosy" about men, according to a new study which reveals the differences in male and female attitudes to finding a life partner.

While most men would be content to settle down with a girl who was "good enough", choosy ladies hold out for someone they consider to be their soul mate, perfect in every respect.

According to the survey to commemorate the 60th anniversary of well-loved Radio 4 show Woman's Hour, girls go through a series of Mr Right Now's on their quest for Mr Right – while men are more happy to settle for the first girl who they think they can be happy with.

Girls continually hold men they meet up to an ideal, largely fantasy figure, while men take a more practical 'ticking the right boxes' approach to finding a long-term mate.

Women's Hour presenter Jenni Murray said that women's vision of Mr Right was "a kind of fantasy dream man against whom every other suitor will be ruthlessly judged, and probably found wanting.

"The result, of course, is that most blokes come up short and are despatched to the scrapheap, while the woman in question continues her relentless – and usually unsuccessful – search for the perfect man."