LONDON, 2nd January 2015: With today marking the start of the UK’s busiest weekend of the year for online dating, research by match.com has identified the changing face of Britain’s single women.
Armed with a mobile phone, a can-do attitude and a proactive approach to dating, the single woman of 2015 won’t waste her precious time on men seeking fleeting dalliances: 71% say they are looking for more meaningful dates instead of hook-ups, while almost two thirds (64%) say they are now more picky about who they date. Women in 2015 are increasingly happy to date more than one person at a time (34%) as they weigh up their dating options, but also far more likely to cut a meeting short. 62% of single females say they would make their excuses and end a date if it was going badly (compared to just 45% of men) and two thirds (67%) say they have less patience than in the past when it comes to dating and won’t waste their time on someone if it doesn’t feel right.
January 2nd kicks off the busiest weekend of the year for online dating, with traffic and new members to match.com expected to peak on Sunday. Match expects sign-ups to the site to increase by 95% on January 4th compared to the annual average. Around 65% of members will use their mobiles to look for dates whilst on the move: around 30% more than at this time last year.
match.com’s research indicates that, in 2015, lengthy dinner date could be a thing of the past, with the optimum length of a first date for single females just 94 minutes. 48% of females also say they now favour quicker dates so that they don’t have to stick around if things aren’t going to plan. At the end of the night, there’s no question of waiting for the man to pick up the tab: although the overwhelming majority of single females still expect men to be chivalrous, 59% said they expect to split the bill at the end of a date.
Kate Taylor, match.com comments: “If 2014 was the year of the casual hook-up, then 2015 is the year singles are taking control of their dating lives again and looking for something more meaningful. Women’s spare time is precious, and they’re not prepared to waste it on men who don’t fit their exacting standards. Thanks to their increasing tech-savviness, they have the pick of thousands of different men at their fingertips, but if things aren’t going to plan then they’ll be straight out of the door without hesitation.”
Notes to editors:
Research of 2,000 UK singles carried out by OnePoll between 19.12.14 and 28.12.14.