Sfwtmp

Study

Study Finds Women Take More Precaution with Men They First Meet Online

C. Price

Written by: C. Price

C. Price

C. Price is part of DatingAdvice.com's content team. She writes advice articles, how-to guides, and studies — all relating to dating, relationships, love, sex, and more.

Edited by: Lillian Castro

Lillian Castro

Lillian Guevara-Castro brings more than 30 years of journalism experience to ensure DatingAdvice articles have been edited for overall clarity, accuracy, and reader engagement. She has worked at The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, The Gwinnett Daily News, and The Gainesville Sun covering lifestyle topics.

See full bio »
Discuss This! Discuss This!
Advertiser Disclosure

Since online dating has become so widely common, more and more people are now meeting up with total strangers for a first date — but not without keeping safety in mind.

A study found that single women take more safety precautions with men they first meet online as opposed to in person.

According to academic research, older women and African-American women are more likely to use these safety strategies.

For the research, Roosevelt University psychology professors Jill Coleman and Catherine Campbell interviewed 82 female students about tactics used for protection in various first date scenarios. The women in the study were all between 18 and 36 years old.

“Women take more precaution with men

they meet online as opposed to in person.”

Among the methods discussed was notifying a friend about the date, controlling alcohol intake during the date and taking self-defense classes.

Among the most common precautions taken was driving in a separate car to the date or having enough cab fare in case a solo exit strategy is needed.

“People are definitely broadening their dating pool by using the internet, but our study shows that there’s still a stigma associated with the practice and with those who are doing it,” Coleman said.

Coleman added broad stereotypes were commonly used to determine people’s behavior during a first date.

“We shouldn’t be buying into stereotypes about who is dangerous and who isn’t based on how we’ve met them,” she said.

From: roosevelt.edu.

Advertiser Disclosure

DatingAdvice.com is a free online resource that offers valuable content and comparison services to users. To keep this resource 100% free, we receive compensation from many of the offers listed on the site. Along with key review factors, this compensation may impact how and where products appear across the site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). DatingAdvice.com does not include the entire universe of available offers. Editorial opinions expressed on the site are strictly our own and are not provided, endorsed, or approved by advertisers.

Our Editorial Review Policy

Our site is committed to publishing independent, accurate content guided by strict editorial guidelines. Before articles and reviews are published on our site, they undergo a thorough review process performed by a team of independent editors and subject-matter experts to ensure the content’s accuracy, timeliness, and impartiality. Our editorial team is separate and independent of our site’s advertisers, and the opinions they express on our site are their own. To read more about our team members and their editorial backgrounds, please visit our site’s About page.