Online dating is harder for women than men, and the reason behind it is shocking!

The world of online dating is an exciting place and represents how we have progressed socially and technologically. It takes only a few taps on your smartphone to chat with someone from any corner of the world where anyone can make the first move. But a recent study indicates that gender stereotyping still prevails in the dating world and why women might be on the receiving end.

According to a study done by Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford and a dating site, the world of online dating may not be as progressive as we think it to be. Here’s a low-down of this research and its insightful findings.

In one of the biggest studies ever done on this subject, the researchers analysed the data of a whopping 150,000 users of an online dating site for ten years. The study concluded that the percentage of men initiating the conversation has increased by 24 per cent in ten years.

Shockingly, the study revealed that the response rate for women who make the first move and send the message declines by 15 per cent. Does this mean a section of users still believe in the traditional norm that only men should approach women?

It seems a woman’s looks and age are two of the major factors that determine her success of meeting someone on an app or site. Women with self-rated attractiveness score of between 8 to 9 receive more messages from the users of the opposite gender. Men with the score ranging between 5-9 receive more messages than the ones with the perfect score 10/10. So, good looks matter for men more than women, eh?

The study concluded that income and educational levels aren’t the biggest parameters that people consider before choosing a prospective match, but women are more likely to look into a man’s financial status while making the decision.

Commenting on the findings of this study, one of the authors Dr. Taha Yasseri opined, “Factors including income, culture and religious orientation are all now less important in the overall search for a partner. However, this increased openness hasn’t yet scaled up on a societal level, with marked gender inequalities focused on physical attractiveness and male-led communication still apparent.”

What can make a male user receive more messages? Well, the study suggests putting up multiple photographs, and projecting oneself as altruistic, athletic and agreeable help.

Being athletic, altruistic and romantic were the traits that increased the probability of women receiving more messages.

There is one common trait that makes both the genders less desirable in the online world. Can you guess what it is? As per the study, projecting oneself as ‘sexual’ was a major turn off for everyone.

(Al images used here are representational)