Canceling A Date Over Social Distancing And Other Ways The Pandemic Has Made Women Bolder In Online Dating

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Do we feel safer?

All of this research points to something that contradicts past data surrounding women and online dating. Several studies have shown that a good deal of women report having negative experiences when online dating, such as having men contact them after they’ve expressed a desire to end communication, receiving threats of physical violence or slander, and receiving unsolicited explicit messages. Women haven’t felt totally safe using the apps. So, do we feel safer now knowing an IRL meetup is less likely? If we do, perhaps there’s an important lesson to take from that: we always have and always will have the power to determine how far an online connection goes. Pandemic or no pandemic, if a reduced opportunity for IRL meetups makes us feel safer online, let’s take that empowerment into the future and never let men pressure us to meet up until we’re ready. Oh, and always be as safe as possible when dating online.