CFD 1220 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Casual Dating
10 Oct 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Dating
• Different cultures have different rituals for finding a mate
• Narrowing the field of romantic partners
o Casual dating
o Getting together in groups
o Exclusive dating
• For some, the trend is casual sexual activity without dating—hooking up
Online Relationships
• Advantages of connecting with people online:
o Allows for relaxed communication
o Easier; less investment
o Can get to know someone from home, set your own pace, start and end relationship at any time
• Disadvantages
o Misrepresentation
o Greater tendency to idealize online partners because people reveal only what they want
o Remove chemistry and intuition from the process
Living Together
• Cohabitation
o By age 30 half of all men and women have cohabited
o Greater acceptance
• Advantages
o Autonomy
o Fewer obligations than marriage
• Disadvantages
o Legal protections absent
o Less stable
Same-Sex Partnerships
• Most people look for love in a committed relationship, regardless of sexual orientation
o Differences between straight and gay relationships
▪ Homosexual relationships are more egalitarian
▪ Same-sex partners must deal with societal attitudes
• Homophobia
Singlehood
• Growing number of single people
o Changing views on singlehood
o Delayed age for marrying
o Cohabitation
o Divorce
• Advantages: career and personal development; freedom
• Disadvantages: lack of companionship; economic hardships
Marital Status of The U.S. Population Aged 15 Years and Older, 2011
➢ Men
➢ Women
