Women – more likely to make the 1st move online

In the new age of online dating, Facebook, Twitter and text, some would say the dating game has been made a whole lot easier, with a host of technology quite literally in the palm of your hand to help you connect with the man of your dreams. 

Others, including the authors of just published book The New Rules, would argue that technology has made dating etiquette a lot more complicated. The manual is an updated version of the Nineties dating bible The Rules and states that when it comes to online dating, women should always wait for a man to make the first move.

But according to a new survey, the digital generation of girls play the dating game more pro-actively with 79 per cent happy to initiate contact with many taking the philosophy ‘why wait?’

According to a recent study by dating site MySingleFriend, only 21 per cent of girls currently heed the advice of the cardinal rule of The New Rules book…to never initiate first contact with a man.

But 71 per cent of girls agree with the authors’ advice to wait at least 30 minutes before replying to a potential date’s text messages.

Ten per cent of these respondents even leave men hanging for up to four hours before replying.

Only 29 per cent of girls are happy to reply to dates texts immediately.

‘Facebook stalking’ is also becoming a widely acceptable part of the date research process with a massive 65 per cent admitted to trying to get more information about a potential date by looking them up on the social network site first.

A respectable 86 per cent agree with the book’s authors, Ellen Fein and Sherrie Schneider…that they would ditch a man if this happens.

People have been dating from the Dark Ages to the digital age, but the host of technologies available today has massively changed the game, causing a load of new fascinating dating behaviours. There are no set rules, everyone is different but the key thing is to give it a go and work out what works best for you.

by Jeff Millins

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