There is no true shortage. The below applies primarily to the ristha process. I’m so envious of people who find their significant other during school or training. Some of this is tongue in cheek and exaggerated so no need to get offended.
Women want the >5’10" good looking, fit, intelligent men who dont have receding hairlines and aren’t balding, are settled professionals (doctors, lawyers, engineers, business, etc), who dont smoke or drink alcohol yet aren’t too conservative, are mature yet romantic laid back alpha males with a good sense of humor with sizzling chemistry who aren’t demanding or needy and never get mad or raise their voice but will love her faithfully and unconditionally so that she doesnt have to adjust too much after marriage and he will just adore her and put up with all her nakhrey and high maintenance, he wont ask her to sacrifice or compromise, and will let her continue to act like she was when she was single and allow her the freedom to do whatever she wishes to do, all while expecting him to sacrifice and live close to her parents after marriage. Along with everything above, the more money he makes the better. This virtually rules out >99% of desi men.
Men, despite their own numerous shortcomings, want the decent, shareef, innocent yet stunningly beautiful and light-skinned fit angel with no past who has a cute and playful yet nurturing personality, is a classy lady in public, she never nags and isnt too clingy but will put him on a pedestal, will always defer to him since he is man of the house, is amazingly loyal like the girls portrayed in the classic blockbuster Bollywood love stories of the 90s, will sacrifirice for him and make him the center of her world and love him like his own mother did, all while treating her in laws like her own parents while happily leaving behind her own. Knowing how to cook chicken biryani and chicken kadhai are a must. Education is optional but a plus. However, the more independent and fiercly feminist-centric she is the more he is turned off. This virtually rules out >99% of desi women these days. Btw, if there is a girl like this reading this contact me, I’m single. Kidding…I think.. 
It’s easier for guys to find girls out of their league (more common to find an average looking guy with a beautiful girl than finding a good looking guy with a strictly average or below average girl)..so yeah its a bit more difficult for the girls to get the already very rare dreamy guys they want. However, I do think girls have it easier overall because even the average looking girls tend to receive much more attention from the opposite sex than the average male. Girls these days, and especially the good looking ones, often have several beta guys lined up who are ready to put them on a pedestal but these otherwise nice decent shareef guys tend to be a bit more bland in their personality (nerdy, uncool, or strictly average), needy (crave attention and time from the girl) and/or aren’t as good looking so they are friend zoned (or worse bhai-zoned) and only truly considered during desperate times. These beta guys are readily available and often used by these girls to chat as time pass and/or self-esteem boosters while the beta lingers in her life, just hoping and wishing he will win her over eventually by his decency and niceness. And rest assured, he will go out of his way for her and constantly make his niceness known to the girl. Unfortunately, doesn’t always work out for these guys in their pursuit for these girls who are looking for someone more exciting and/or better looking.
As we go through the ristha process and see reality (and sometimes come to the realization that we are inflating our own self-worth), the above criteria do often dwindle down. We have just become extremely picky these days because we always wonder if we can find someone better which is made so much easier today due to technology, people don’t want to have the feeling that they’re potentially missing out on something better and just settling. The 99% want the 1%.
