Match.com Study Reveals the Changing Singles in America

Ask anyone if they think dating has changed over the past 50 years and you're likely to get the same response - that it absolutely has. Match.com recently funded the largest study ever done of American singles. The comprehensive study of 5,200 singles ages 21 to 65+ turns up some interesting results and is an excellent example of just how much things have changed. The study seems to find that women have been pulling away from the stereotypical gender role in dating.

According to Match.com, 50 years ago, out of women ages 25-29, only ten percent weren't married. The results from the study state that more singles than not would live with someone without marrying - a staggering 72 percent feel this way, which is quite different from marriage views of years ago.

If you're under the impression that women seem more independent in relationships than they were years ago, you would be right. Stereotypically, men are the ones who want more space in a relationship, but the study finds that women not only want more space than men, they also want more nights out with friends and a vacation alone more than men do. Personally, I'm a women who needs space in a relationship and the majority of my female friends are the same way. We tend to get turned off by men who exhibit smothering behavior, especially in the early stages of dating. Between my male and female friends, it is definitely the women who are more likely to keep a very active social life with friends separate from a relationship while men seem to want to interact socially with friends while the partner is there as well. Several of us have also previously taken vacations without respective partners while the partners opted not to do the same.

The survey also found that 89 percent of women haven't asked someone out within the past year and still would rather a new partner initiate sex. Again, this describes my friends and I fairly accurately. While we'll occasionally make the first move with handing over a phone number, we'll tend to let the man initiate the first date and first sexual encounter.

For those who think a one night stand can't turn into a relationship, 35 percent of the study participants stated that they've had a long-term relationship that initially started as a one night stand. A recent discussion I had with several people resulted in an answer as to why, other than urges, some choose to have sex with a partner before being in a full fledged relationship with that person - they want to gauge the sexual compatibility. It seems more people would rather know first if they are sexually compatible with someone before fully committing to a relationship.

The study gives relatively good insight as to a change in dynamic between men and women. Results indicate that many women have been morphing into what stereotypical men have been wanting - women who give men space and freedom and who aren't interested in rushing into marriage. Men are typically interested in a challenge - an independent, hard-to-get woman who doesn't hand everything over at every step of dating. Today more than ever, women seem more fulfilled and happy without necessarily needing a ring on their finger. If the results of the study are put into play, men are going to get more of a challenge than some may realize.

Source:

Match.com Media Room: "Single in America"