@pretty
All you said is good. some of it out of either innocence and/or lack of experience. some are very misplaced. For example,i dont have to be more educated than my spouse for me to earn more. I just need to be alittle bit lucky. Example,I have many of my workmates(ladies) who earn more than their spouses and they are not necessarily more educated than them. Assuming you meet a guy who you fall in love,you happen to be an intelligent woman - so what do you do? hide your intelligent and start behaving like a blonde? most men i believe want an intelligent woman who they can hold a conversation with.
Some like 'men like younger women' are relative. some prefer the 'maturity' in a woman not necessarily the number of years. A woman can be 'mature' at 20 while another still be 'immature'at 40 - you get it? if yo liten to me,i will tell you that you can wait till you are 50 and you will not be sure if the man is bad or good.... there are some signs that could alert you but 'being sure'? that i cant guarantee you.
If you have someone who you believe is good for you,you can live with for the rest of your life,if you know you can take care of a family,then go for it! You seem so attached to your dad and as a parent,your dad will worry for you till his time to leave this world even if you will be 90 at the time coz you will always be his 'little angel daughter' to him. So go ahead gal,make your own decision that is good for you.
One last thing,the problems that your parents experienced or are experiencing in their marriage life do not constitute a standard model of a marriage life. they have unique challenges just like any other family. you cant build your family like your parents because they are different people. if theirs was not perfect,try making yours perfect (perfection is never attained but you could land somewhere comfortable if you seek it)
Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want.