Gender differences in online dating: What do we know so far? A systematic literature review

Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksArticle in conference proceedingsResearchpeer-review

Authors

With millions of users worldwide, online dating platforms strive to assert themselves as powerful tools to find dates and form romantic relationships. However, significant differences exist in male and female use of this mate-matching technology with respect to motivation, preferences, self-presentation, interaction and outcomes. While existing research has routinely reported on gender differences in online dating, these insights remain scattered across multiple studies. To gain a systematic insight into existing findings, in this study we conduct a meta-review of existing research. We find that evolutionary theory generally holds true in online dating: Users still follow natural stereotypes when it comes to choosing a mate online. Physical attractiveness is the key criteria for men, while women, being much more demanding, prioritize socio-economic attributes when choosing a male partner. Together, our structured findings offer a deeper insight into the underlying dynamics of gender differences in online dating.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 49th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences : 5–8 January 2016, Kauai, Hawaii
EditorsTung X. Bui, Ralph H. Sprague
Number of pages10
Place of PublicationLos Alamitos
PublisherIEEE - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Publication date07.03.2016
Pages3858-3867
Article number7427665
ISBN (Electronic)978-0-7695-5670-3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 07.03.2016
Externally publishedYes
Event49th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, HICSS 2016 - Koloa, United States
Duration: 05.01.201608.01.2016

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 IEEE.

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