Dating Tips for the Unemployed

Obama is tackling major issues during his first run at presidency: terrorism, immigration-reform, even dating; well, let me back-up a bit. With the constant rise in unemployment, many singles are left wondering, "Am I dateable?" and according to a recent poll on Zoosk.com, our nation's current influx of unemployed singles hasn't damaged the number of daters as they're still flourishing. According to the poll, three out of five women said they'd date an unemployed man, which is up eight-percent from a similar poll taken in 2009. And while the men don't really consider a woman's job status when trying to woo them, nine out of ten men say they'd ask a woman out on a date knowing they were unemployed--that number decreased from 92 percent in that same 2009 poll. And despite all the free-love and understanding when it comes to dating in today's economy, 80 percent of men and 93-percent of women feel it's necessary to know the truth about their date's employment status--before the date is even made, but can your recession romance backfire in the long run?

Dating someone who's unemployed shows that you're open, you're hip, that you're bank account hasn't hit the negatives, but can dating during these hard economic times bring more stress into a budding relationship? Take a look at the number of divorce rates in America, a high percentage of divorces are filed under money problems and it seems as though getting the rough times are becoming a little more real--a little too fast--and some couples can't handle the pressure, financially. So should we assume that couples dating can actually teach old dogs new tricks, not really, because instead of asking the age-old question, "Who pays on the first date" now we ask "Who pays for the second, third, fourth and fifth date?" when one party isn't brining home the bacon.

I took my own poll on Twitter and 100-percent said they'd date someone unemployed, but they all had conditions. Five percent said they'd date someone who lost their job but only through no fault of there own, while 85-percent said yes as long as the person was actively seeking a job, and surprisingly enough eight percent said they date the unemployed as long as they had some form of income coming in like unemployment benefits or as one person put it, "As long as they're getting that government cheese to make me some sandwiches why not?" while the final two-percent didn't care.

Before you go out and stand on the unemployment line with a huge sign that reads, "Will Date for Food" let's regroup and refocus a little. If you are unemployed and want to date, there are many things you can do on a date to make it economically reasonable for the two of you and also be a touch romantic, like picnic at a park or share an ice-cream cone along the beach, but since we don't live in Xanadu or in the 80s, and many of today's daters are about the sexiness factor and flashy wads of cash being flung around the club--be mindful when dating in 2010, because times are tough and to think otherwise is a bit selfish and before you put yourself out in the dating world, ask yourself three important questions:

1. Who's gonna pay? You don't want to be stuck paying the check when you know your credit card is about to set off alarms because you haven't paid it. You also want to save you and your date the embarrassment.

2. How can I plan the date to make it more person-focused rather than money-oriented? You first date should be casual, easy-breezy and centered on getting to know the person. Don't focus so much on a price tag as much as having a priceless experience.

3. Should you fess up? I tend to think people lie on polls. You want to appear politically correct and not like Rush Limbaugh on crack. Should you tell the person you're dating that you're unemployed? Does every date need to know your status? What if there's not even a second date--now you have a string of people who know your situation who maybe didn't have to.

Dating is hard, whether you're unemployed or miserably stuck at a job you hate. And despite recent polls showing that people are more open-minded when it comes to dating the unemployed, you have a few questions to think about, unless you find a gem who enjoys staying home to watch HULU on the internet.