The other night I was asked to do a short radio interview on a local Austin station about midlife dating. Anyone who knows me knows I have an awful lot to say on THAT subject. Anyone who knows me also knows I’m an overachiever. So, even though the show was going to be pretty light and fun, I thought I should have a few statistics at hand since I’m supposed to be, ahem, an expert on the subject of all things women and midlife.
Ha, ha, I had no idea! AARP (ouch, it hurts me every time I have to let that acronym into my consciousness) had done a study a few years back on Midlife Singles and it had some pretty amusing and thought provoking things to say that I just have to share. For the record, they are referring to midlife singles as those forty to sixty-nine.
I want to have my cake and eat it too. We singles apparently prize our independence and freedom, but we get vewwy lonely and that sucks. Being Boomers of course we want it all, at the same time and preferably right now.
Hi, my name is Marv. Would you like to have sex? It may not surprise you to learn that 20 percent of men think sex on the first date is acceptable. And, that only 2 percent of women agree. Second date, still only 2 percent of women think that’s cool, but 12 percent of men, apparently ever the optimists, are good to go. It isn’t until they’ve known someone over an extended period that 45 percent of women think it’s acceptable. Wow, women are from Venus and men are from Mars I guess.
But they all have baggage! The number one frustration for those who are actively dating is, drum roll please, dating people with a lot of baggage. Roughly half think that’s a drag. Second most frustrating thing is a close race between people pushing too quickly to get into a serious relationship and people who, dang them, become difficult after the initial dates.
