Single women report that feminism has changed the dating game, according to a recent survey.
A study done by dating app OkCupid, which polled its users, found that in the past five years, there’s been a 600% increase in women’s profiles stating “looking for a feminist” or “feminists only” and a 5% increase in women responding “no” to the OkCupid matching question “Would you date someone who isn’t a feminist?”
Additionally, in Israel, 40% of women reported they would consider themselves to be activists.
“When it comes to making the first move, the 2020’s have been, so far, a decade of more assertive dating,” said Lee Tom Dotan, OkCupid’s Israeli Dating Expert. “Though this change applies to all genders and orientations, women seem to be at the forefront of this trend.”
The New York-based dating service reported that throughout the pandemic, women have been increasingly more likely to send likes and first messages – and this trend has continued into 2022. Women sent 10% more likes this January than they did in December, according to OKCupid.
Globally, the app reports, women are focused on fighting to close the gender wage gap, with 84% of female daters on OkCupid saying more needs to be done to do so (70% of men agree). In Israel, 87% of daters support the fight to close the gender wage gap.
Female daters have also become increasingly less likely to expect – or want – a match to support them financially. Notably, OkCupid reported that only 10% of women on the app say that money is very important when it comes to a match. For Israeli women, the numbers are similar, with only 11% of Israeli women agreeing.Additionally, very few women using the dating site say they do not keep track of their own finances - in Israel, for instance, almost half (49%) of women reported keeping a budget.
Globally, almost two-thirds (65%) of women on OkCupid who responded to the matching question “Would you rather have more money or more freedom?” said “freedom” (slightly ahead of 64% of men). Israeli women are even more concerned with their freedom, with more than three-fourths (77%) prioritizing it over money.
“Freedom means the right to choose what you want — and that comes to who you date, too,” said Lee.
“Today, more women understand that it’s not about choosing between a career and a relationship,” the Israeli dating expert said. “Women in 2022 want to succeed in both. COVID has taught us the importance of balancing work at home – and women and men are looking for similar partners who support this balanced approach.”