Who Has The Upper Hand in Dating?

Iona is a Wellness Coach specialising in relationships and dating.…

Apparently the ball is in a woman’s court, when it comes to the first date at least. The most recent survey by online dating service ELITESINGLES has found women to be far more confident in their approach to dating than men. Not only do 71% of women believe they hold the reigns over a date’s outcome, but they are also considerably more confident than men about their first impression.

The study of 561 members has shown the supposedly ‘weaker’ sex demonstrating their strong side: 82% of the women interviewed were convinced of their ability to make a good impression on men. By contrast, with just 70% sure of being well received, male respondents indicated a comparative lack of self-confidence. And when it comes to taking a date to the next step, women are clearly dominant: 71% of the women asked felt they usually make the decision whether more will come from their meeting. Again reflecting lack of dating confidence among men, just 46% deem themselves decision-makers of the date’s outcome. I personally found these stats quite surprisingly as it’s not reflective of my dating experiences where it’s been 50/50.

But what might explain this disparity in dating confidence? According to Dr. Wiebke Neberich, director of the study, “Men usually make the first move when dating, which gives women the power to decide if something goes further. Since men also often tend to overestimate a woman’s interest, they experience comparatively many more rejections. Women can be picky when choosing a partner, for a number of biological and sociological reasons, so they often have the upper hand at this stage in a relationship. This could be a key explanation for the greater self-confidence we see among women in the study”.

Not so sure how the date went? Signs to look for:

If it went well…

She will…