Literature Review (Melissa) Part 1: Age Differences in Dating

Current Anthropology, Vol. 39, No. 3 (June 1998), pp. 374-380
Age Differences in Dating and Marriage: Reproductive Strategies or Social Preferences?
Anthony Davis

The sociobiological argument in respect to human mating is concerned with the observed differences in average age of male and female preferences. Research is based on two different sets of data representing age preference. The first is a study of personals advertisements, and the second from an examination of records of 19th century marriages.

The author is arguing that the reason most males tend to date someone even slightly younger than them as opposed to them being older has to do with spreading their seed. Even if it is only a subconscious decision a male wants to make sure that it's going to the most fertile companion possible. They are not implying that older women aren't fertile, but rather generalizing that a younger woman has a higher chance at becoming pregnant than an older one. On the other hand, females usually look for an older male to be able to support them and their offspring. The author also goes on to analyze how the age preferences sometimes change as they get older based on surveys.



Spyrou, A. "Initial Encounters of Young Men and Women: Impressions and Disclosure Estimates." Sex Roles 50.9 (2004): 699-709.
In this article the author talks about how men and women are affected during their first impressions or encounters with someone. They base their feelings on how open or not open they are, the kind of communication, etc. It also analyzes how much information about themselves they will release when they just meet someone and the effects that it might have on the other person. One of it's sources that it utilizes for these findings is a dating website that allows you to talk to someone for 8 minutes and then forces you to make a decision to keep talking or not.



Marketing Molly and Melville: Dating in a postmodern, consumer society; Jagger E. Sociology; 2001 Vol. 35, p39-57, 19p.
This is the first of a two part analysis of dating for this author. In this article he analyzes everything that goes into the crucial decision process when it comes to dating someone. All the information is based on an analysis of one hundred dating advertisements and what was placed on them, also the order of preference. It also includes references to some of the stereotypes of what men and women might look for and what social conditions might be inhibiting them from finding someone to date.

	Is Thirty the New Sixty? Dating, Age and Gender in a Postmodern, Consumer Society.
	Sociology [0038-0385] Jagger yr:2005 vol:39 iss:1 pg:89 -106

This author is building upon one of his previous researches with this article. Here they examine the ages at which people will stop putting themselves out there in the dating scene. It also looks at the groups that they are in fact advertising themselves to, whether it be significantly younger individuals, same age, etc. It also address the "cougar" theory in which older women might go after a younger male to give her a sense of youth.


Sex and age differences in preferences and tactics of mate attraction: Analysis of published advertisements; Greenlees, I. A.; McGrew, W. C. Ethology and Sociobiology; 1994 Vol. 15, p59-72, 14p.
This article takes a look at how individuals might select their mates during the dating process. The information is mainly based on observations from Spain advertisements in personal ads. It takes a look at what one might advertise they can offer or what they are looking for. It covers everything from age, required physical characteristics, social class level, and more. Then the author goes on to analyze the trends.


Caron, Sandra L. "Dating Preferences of Women Born Between 1945 and 1960." Journal of family issues 25.6 (2004): 833-46.
In this article the author is comparing how older women (35-50) date and what sort of experiences they have had versus that of a younger crowd (20-25). It looks at characteristics, if the men are younger or older, etc. The author also says that the results from this study might cause a need for women to re-evaluate what they are looking for. Their criteria needs to be adjusted and appropriate for their age group or "league".


Courtship American Style: Newspaper ads; Cameron, Catherine; Oskamp, Stuart; William, Sparks The Family Coordinator; 1977 Vol. 26, p27-30, 4p.
This author takes a look at what the American way of dating has come to be. A lot of people will utilize personal ads in newspapers or websites now and this analyzes what they put on it. However, it also takes at look at the ones that might offer something for something different in return. The author goes even further to compare some of the personal ads today to a company trying to promote and sell their stock. Some of the ads analyzed in this article even go as far as talking about different sexual roles and what sort of response they might get.

Garden Grove Dating Survey

http://freeonlinesurveys.com/rendersurvey.asp?sid=kb9t882ychwz1eb679964

Controversial Issue: Date Rape

IS DATE RAPE ABOUT SEX OR POWER?

Defining Date Rape seems to be one of the hardest things, when it comes to the behavior itself.
Is she "asking for it" with seductive clothing? Do the mixed messages during "making out" allow for its justification?
According to Pirog-Good and Stets, rape is an act of a sexual nature that is forced upon an unwilling victim or that an unwilling victim is forced to perform on someone else. In contrast date rape is a sexual assault that occurs in either serious or casual relationships. Casual dating couples might include those who have met at a party or on a blind date. Date rape is an act of aggression and violence; this implies that the rapist is seeking to assert anger, power, and control.
Some of the statistics of date rape are the following:
 Most female victims of date rape are between ages of 12 and 18, 40% being virgins
 Women and girls are more likely than men and boys to report being victims of dating violence (less than 30% for males on college campuses)
 As the consumption of alcohol by either the victim or perpetrator increases, the rate of serious injuries associated with dating violence also increases (over 55% of incidents)

The most interesting thing we found, concerning the factors that reduced internal inhibitions, were the attitudes of victims. The highest risk group of these women...
1. value traditional sex roles
2. have an acceptance of violence
3. endorse the "rape myth" (that they asked for it)
4. have been a victim of PRIOR ABUSIVE acts (like molestation)

Clearly, not having clear concepts of boundaries and/or assertiveness is a problem, but coupled with the pre-conditions of the average rapist, one can see how prevalent this issue becomes...

Factors that enhance motivation to sexually abuse...
1. power and control needs
2. miscommunication about sex
3. emotional incongruity
4. imbalance in power differential

What are your thoughts and ideas about this issue?


Johnson, I. (2007). Age of Greatest Risk for Victimization. Journal of Criminal Justice, 35 (6), 622-629.
A sample of 868 female college students and data collected from three studies over an eight- year period. The article examines the nature of force in intimate relationships among maturing adolescents.

Facebook Survey on Dating and Attraction

I posted a few questions on my FB page asking for responses in regard to attraction and dating. It was interesting that the initial responses were negative from both men and women equally. Most negative feedback involved recollections of bad experiences ranging from "blind" dates poorly matched to date rape. If I asked a forced answer question, like, "on a scale from 1 to 5," I could quantify my results more easily, but with less interesting findings. I decided to do both interviews AND a survey.
Ok, our group survey will be posted soon, but here are some preliminary results of my interviews. I want to thank social media and my Blackberry for making this all possible... haha (anna)

Question: Tell me about some of your most memorable dates?
Answers:

1. Well, I once went out on a first date with someone who told me that if this doesn't work out, I'm going to commit suicide... (no pressure there)

2. Once, I went to dinner with this girl and we really hit it off, so after, I asked if she wanted to go somewhere and "talk" (which is code for make-out) and she replied, "I'd love to... but can we go to your place? My ex is still sleeping on my couch."

3. I had the safe "coffee date" once, and thought, "wow, he seems so sweet." Then when we were leaving he asked me, "Do you think I could get a ride to my parole officer appointment?" The sad thing is, I did.

4. Uh, usually I like to double-date for the first couple of times... it's less pressure and reduces the amount of conversation I have to engage in...