Online Dating or Racism – Is Love No Longer Blind?

Photo Credit: iStock.com/Artist’s martin-dm

Online dating is not a new concept. Yet, it is not past the initial stages either. Romance seekers are ready to explore their options, but, only in the familiar ethnic territories. Race and gender matter a lot even when it comes to cyber romance. What should have had been the essence of open-minded intrigue in the minds of strangers is stuck in the dark side of online romance (a.k.a. boring safe-play).

A recent study conducted by Ken-Hou Lin and Jennifer Lundquist explores the effects of racial preferences of a person for a potential romantic partner. These preferences have been gauged in comparison to the educational and financial status of for a person. The two scholars belong to the University of Texas and U. Mass Amherst respectively.

A typical example of what is about to unfold would be of white college-educated men and women who are more likely to respond to white daters without a college degree than black college degree holders.

The study which was published in The American Journal of Sociology, consulted a large volume of data acquired from one of the top-level dating websites (unidentified). It consists of more than 200 million messages sent from November 2003 to 2010 by more than 9 million users. Some of these patterns may challenge the way we behave unconsciously towards racial issues.

Female Attraction Patterns:

The main attraction lies in a couple’s ultimate emotional chemistry, but race and ethnicity do contribute in establishing the sending and receiving patterns at the very first stage. For instance, have a look at the following diagram which explains what type of men, different types of women are attracted to. A darker sequence represents a higher probability of contact:

Who They Approach?

According to the survey, it is highly likely that people would send. requests to someone from their own ethnic group but an inclination towards the dominant race is also visible. A complexion fairer is still acceptable but men darker than their own skin color are rarely approached.

Who They Respond To?

When asked, the author says: “The main story here is the experience of black women who receive the lion’s share of their messages from black men, a tiny amount from Latino men, and practically no messages from either Asian or white men. Asian and white women, on the other hand, consistently receive messages from all men, both inside and outside their ethnic group."

It may be surprising for some readers, but the Hispanic women have more demand for the Asian macho men than males from their own race. 😉

Male Attraction Patterns:

A recurring issue is the absence of regard for factors like education, body type, and most importantly, socioeconomic status. Survey results prove that men show an astonishing dedication to the women of their own race while sending out requests which is evident from the following graphic images:

Who They Approach?

All four categories of men preferred women from their own groups. White male daters showed varying levels of interest in dark complexioned women, whereas, black man showed minimum interest in white or Asian women.

Who They Respond To?

This figure certainly shows some mind-boggling results. As compared to their sending preferences, the responding behavior is totally disturbed and the other way round. White men are more likely to date Asian women, whereas, black men are more than happy to accept requests from white females.

Does that mean racial boundaries are more significant when daters search and less when they respond?

The writer pointed out a negative aspect of online romance in these words: “When attracted to other groups, only some daters are welcomed to cross the borders. In this sense, racial boundaries function similarly to one-way turnstile gates. While non-black daters, particularly white men, are well received when they contact daters of other groups, black daters, particularly black women, are largely confined to a segregated dating market.”

In order to create an actual utopia of an all-inclusive global village, mankind has a long way to go and a huge responsibility to overthrow the curse of racial discrimination.

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