Dating has been around for thousands of years, but it’s only in the last few decades that it has become an integral part of modern life. Dating apps like Tinder and Bumble have made it easier than ever for people to meet new people and find love. But how did we get to this point? And what does it mean for the future of our relationships? Here are some of the most interesting facts about dating as we know it today.
1. The first dating app was created by a man named Gary Kremen in 1995. It was called “Match” and it allowed users to search for potential partners based on their physical appearance. This is where the idea of online dating came from. In the early 1990s, there were very few women who could afford to go out on dates with men they met at work or through friends. As a result, many women had to settle for less-than-ideal boyfriends because they simply didn’t have the money to pay for a fancy date. That’s when matchmaking sites like Match.com and eHarmony started popping up. These sites would match you up with someone who looked similar to you so you could spend time together without having to worry about whether or not you were going to be able to afford dinner. Over time, more and more women began using these sites to find romantic partners. By the end-20th century, the number of women using dating apps increased dramatically. Today, over half of all American women have used at least one dating site or app to look for Mr. or Ms. Right.
2. There are currently more than 1.5 billion people on the planet. Most of them live in developed countries like the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. According to Pew Research Center, nearly two-thirds of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 have never dated anyone outside of their immediate family.
3. When it comes to finding love, technology plays a big role. For example, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, smartphone owners are more likely to engage in casual sex than non-smartphone users. They also tend to have more sexual partners than those who do not own smartphones.
4. More than 50 percent of marriages in America end in divorce. Of those couples who stay together, roughly 40 percent will eventually remarry.
5. If you’re single, chances are pretty good that you haven’t found your soulmate yet. A recent survey by the National Center for Family and Marriage Research found that just under 60% of respondents said they weren’t sure if they were ready to commit to someone special.
6. One in three Americans say they’ve been in a relationship longer than five years.
7. On average, Americans have been dating for 10.6 years before getting married.
8. About 20 percent fewer Americans marry each year than in previous generations.
9. Women are twice as likely as men to wait until their late 30s or early 40s to tie the knot. However, once they do, marriage rates among both sexes continue to decline. Some experts believe this is because women are delaying marriage in order to focus on child rearing while men are postponing marriage due to career pressures. Others argue that women aren’t waiting as long as they used to because society has changed such that they don’t need to rush into marriage right away. Either way, statistics show that the average age of marriage for women is now 28 compared to 27 for men.
10. Nearly 80 million Americans identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT).
11. Despite the fact that same-sex marriage is legal in 37 states and Washington, D.C., the Supreme Court struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in June 2015. DOMA defined marriage as a union between “a man and a woman” and denied federal benefits to legally married gays and lesbians. Since then, several states have passed laws that allow gay and lesbian couples to file joint tax returns and receive Social Security benefits.
12. Only 15 states still ban gay marriage.
13. Gay marriage isn’t the only issue that has divided the country. Another hot-button social issue is abortion. Many Americans are pro-life and oppose abortion even in cases of rape or incest. Abortion rights supporters often use the term “pro-choice” to describe their position. Pro-choicers claim that abortion is a personal decision that should be left up to each woman and her doctor. Opponents call them “anti-abortionists.” Both sides agree that government should not be involved in making these kinds of decisions.
14. People who identify themselves as Christian make up about 25 percentof the population.
15. Roughly 70 percent support same-sex marriage, while 30 percent oppose it.
