Contributed by: kellyseal on Thursday, December 22 2022 @ 11:15 am
Last modified on Thursday, December 22 2022 @ 11:24 am
Dating app Bumble recently surveyed its users to get a clearer picture of what singles are looking for as we head into the New Year, and found that attitudes are shifting when it comes to gender, sex, and work-life balance.
Surveying 14,000 of its users, Bumble’s findings[*1] point to some major shifts taking place in the dating world, notably around work-life balance. Workaholism is no longer prized, especially among younger daters who prefer to make time for breaks and leisure. More than half of all respondents said they are actively creating more space for rest, and 13 percent said they would no longer date someone with a very demanding job.
The pandemic’s effect on the workplace and peoples’ ability to keep working from home has also shifted attitudes about who to date. Thirty -three percent of respondents around the world say they are now more open to travel and cultivate a relationship with someone who doesn’t live in the same city.
Bumble[*2] also found that money is top of mind for most daters with rising inflation, and many will continue on into 2023 to change their dating practices as a result. More singles are having honest conversations about money, with 28 percent saying they set financial boundaries for their dating lives. A majority of 57 percent say they are more interested in casual dates than expensive dinners.
Younger daters are also driving the conversation around gender and sexuality, with more singles wanting to engage in discussion and move beyond traditional roles. Over the last year, 74 percent of men on Bumble worldwide say they have a clearer definition of “toxic masculinity” and have examined their own behavior with this knowledge. About half (49 percent) of men agree that breaking gender roles in dating and relationships benefit both men and women.
Singles are also more open when it comes to their sex lives, with 42 percent saying they are approaching sex and intimacy in a more exploratory way. However, 34 percent of respondents said they were not having sex, but are also fine with this.
One of the most interesting findings in the study is that singles are now more inclined to date someone they might not normally be physically attracted to. One third of respondents worldwide said they are now “open casting,” a reference to dating outside of a physical type.
The company released a video along with a report of the study, with dating coach and sex educator Shan Boodram announcing the findings. Boodram was previously a resident expert on Netflix's "Too Hot to Handle" and starred in Peacock's show "Ex-Rated with Andy Cohen". She now co-hosts the popular podcast “Lovers and Friends.”
For more on this dating service which released this study, check out our Bumble review.