We all know that dating is exhausting, especially for women, and especially when the latest shady dating move comes along. Dating on the apps can feel like a real chore at the best of times, so it pays to be across the latest trends.
With this in mind, it's definitely helpful to look at Bumble's dating predictions for 2023. They're based on a poll of 10,000 swipers worldwide, so they should offer an insight into the mindsets of people on the apps right now.
Prospects are pretty positive for fans of a long-distance relationship, with a third of daters saying they're now more open to dating someone in a different city. What's tickling people's fancy is the prospect of 'wanderlove' — a portmanteau of wanderlust and love, which sees people embracing travel and relationships with people who don't reside in their current city. So much so that nearly 10% of people on Bumble in Australia said that it's actually easier to date in another country.
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Sex positivity is on the increase too: 53% of people believe it's important to discuss their sexual wants and needs early on, while 34% say they are not having sex right now and are cool with that.
Encouragingly, daters are also becoming more open-minded about the people they match with: 38% say they're now more open to dating beyond their typical physical 'type' (this jumps to 42% when we look at Aussies), while 28% are less worried about dating the type of person that others expect them to. Dubbed 'open casting,' this marks a departure from the strict type-casting we've seen (and experienced) in the dating world.
Mirrored by our approach to careers, daters are becoming more confident about setting boundaries. More than half (52%) say they've set more boundaries over the past year and more than half said they've got better at saying no to social commitments when they're just not up to it.
Interestingly, the importance of work-life balance is also permeating the way we date, with 14% of swipers saying they'd no longer date someone with a super-demanding job. In light of the cost of living crisis, it's probably no surprise that more than half (57%) prefer a casual first date to something more elaborate and spenny.
Perhaps most encouraging of all, 74% of men said they have examined their dating behaviour in the past year — to which the only logical response is "about time".
Meanwhile, 49% of men globally now believe that breaking gender roles in dating and relationships is beneficial for them (as well as beneficial to women and non-binary folks). Hearteningly, 59% of Australian men on Bumble agree with this.
"All of these shifts are changing the ways that people are thinking about what they are looking for, and how they better balance their relationships, work and life," says Lucille McCart, Bumble’s APAC Communications Director. "As we head into the new year, we are encouraged by the many ways single people are challenging the status quo and taking control of defining what a healthy and equal relationship means for them.”
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