Dating apps have been around for years, and since their inception, they have evolved to match the times and strategies of the dating world. But one thing that has not changed is gender stereotypes. In fact, gender stereotypes still dominate the world of online dating by dictating the way men and women engage in online courtship.
Despite the success of dating apps such as Bumble where women are required to initiate conversation as well as the progress made towards gender equality on dating apps, researchers found that the number of men initiating conversations online has increased.
In a new study from the Oxford Internet Institute and eharmony, researchers found that of the 150,000 exclusively cisgendered, heterosexual users on the dating site, men are 30 percent more likely than women to initiate conversation. On the other hand, when a woman does send the first message, the response rate drops by 15 percent.
The data was collected over a 10-year period in the UK, and the findings show that both men and women still exhibit gender stereotypical behavior when dating online.
The study concludes that the inequality in who writes first comes down to “learned norms.” The study also argues that since Tinder was introduced, the “psychological costs” of messaging has declined for men — in other words, they care less.
Women are more likely to be evaluated on their looks than men — some of the most important factors for determining women’s date-ability were physical traits such as age and athleticism. Men on the other hand are being judged by their degree of agreeableness, altruism and athleticism.
By: Maytinee Kramer
