Statistic
~25%
Online daters pursue partners about 25% more desirable than themselves
A large study of online dating found a pronounced desirability hierarchy, with both men and women messaging partners about 25% more desirable than themselves. The market is steep and competitive — but it's an emergent pattern both sexes create, not a system "rigged" against men.
The number
Analysing millions of messages, researchers found a steep desirability hierarchy in which both sexes reach about 25% "up" — and most messages go unanswered as a result. [1]
both men and women pursue partners who are on average about 25% more desirable than themselves
What it does and doesn't establish
Online dating is genuinely competitive, and men do get less attention on average. But the hierarchy is produced by how everyone behaves — women climb the same ladder — so "rigged against men" imports a design the data don't show. Full context: is online dating rigged against men?
Sources
1 source · all archived at publication
- [1]Aspirational pursuit of mates in online dating markets · Science Advances · 2018-08-08 archived ↗
By The Fieldnote Desk · How we verify · Corrections