More American women over 45 are single, than ever before. According to the latest population surveys, someone turns 50 every 8 seconds in the U.S. and more than half of that figure is female.
According to Christian Science Monitor writer, Marilyn Gardner, "To newly minted singles coming out of long marriages, the prospect of dating can be daunting."
At the initial phase of dating, the boomer woman may want to ask herself, "why date?" In other words, what is the objective?
In 2003, AARP conducted a study asking participants why they dated and found "the single most important...reason...is to have someone to talk to or do things with." This reason accounted for almost half of the singles in the study.
One woman from an email group didn't agree, "If these two reasons were the only reason for a woman to date it might be less complicated if she ran around with another woman instead of a man. She wouldn't have to worry about giving the guy the wrong signals. If I dated a guy it would also be because I found him sexually attractive," she said.
Other reasons from the study included: to have fun, find a partner, find someone to marry and to fulfill sexual needs.
Understanding why you want to date is an important first step in the process. This gives you a clear objective and eliminates unnecessary time spent in relationships that have nothing to do with your objective.
In addition to dating motivations, the new single should consider what type of relationship they want. Susan Dunn, EQ coach of Momentum Coaching asks, "Companionship without commitment? Is that with or without sex? Do you want long-term and sex? Is that with or without commitment? Friend with benefits? Benefits without friendship? Marriage? Is that marriage with or without fidelity?"
Once you know what you want, you can learn to ask for what you want. Don't be shy when you begin dating, the time (and heart) you save is your own.
Knowing when you're ready to date is just as important as why. Generally, experience and distance from relationships gives a person not just a needed break, but also some insight into their motivations and what they need from a relationship.
If you're going to step out again here are a few things to consider:
If you have these three collared, you're ready to get back out there.
Carla R. Herrera is a freelance writer and author of The Contemporary Woman's Guide to Midlife: Essays and Resources for Life Transitions. She's currently working on her next book, Contemporary Woman's Guide to Midlife Dating and publishes an online magazine for midlife women, 40+
Just when businesses and advertisers think they have women all... Read More
Married women need to feel Love and Married men need... Read More
Probably you do have attitude, but what is it? Jaded,... Read More
You see it all the time, and it makes you... Read More
I'm often surprised by the number of people who are... Read More
Inevitably, when the topic of dating comes up among Christian... Read More
At first dating is fun but as you go on... Read More
In this day and age, many find it hard to... Read More
Carly's quest in finding a suitable partner for marriage seemed... Read More
There was a time when finding a date, partner, lover... Read More
Searching the web for a dating or personals site can... Read More
Online dating is becoming more and more mainstream, as people... Read More
So you're single. And you don't want to be single... Read More
Guys have all different motives for trying to be successful... Read More
How often do you find yourself wishing you could find... Read More
Dating online can be great fun, stimulating and exciting. So... Read More
Very few singles have ever gone through life without having... Read More
Every woman has a fantasy from the time she was... Read More
Until Death Do You Part?That certainly was a lie. Your... Read More
So, you're convinced that you have zero opportunities to meet... Read More
Heather had been dating Ben for a little over two... Read More
Searching for the perfect mate can be one of life's... Read More
The fact is, most people think they handle objections with... Read More
We've all been there. We've fallen in love with somebody... Read More
Dating Online is currently the Internets biggest craze, and its... Read More
Meet Other Singles by Doing Something You LoveHere's one the... Read More
The first thing you should do is talk about what... Read More
One of the most frequent questions I am asked is... Read More
There is one thing we all know for certain when... Read More
Oh, no! Christmas, Hanukah, and New Year's Eve are coming,... Read More
When most "dating gurus" and sex therapists spout their dating... Read More
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what... Read More
First impressions are important, which is why it is essential... Read More
More American women over 45 are single, than ever before.... Read More
We've all been there. We've fallen in love with somebody... Read More
There is a simple online dating secret that can save... Read More
We are romantic creatures. We are social creatures. With these... Read More
In my attempts to find the love of my life,... Read More
Far too many people, both men and women alike, confuse... Read More
Six months ago an old school friend and I were... Read More
1) Leave the mobile phone off! Do not answer it... Read More
So you're single. And you don't want to be single... Read More
Personal values is an important point when it comes to... Read More
Christian singles are plentiful no matter what age you are... Read More
Nearly every dating site on the internet claims to offer... Read More
We've all had that special woman in our lives. You... Read More
IntroductionNothing gets the heart pumping quite like the nervous anticipation... Read More
Back in 2004, I met a gentleman who was interested... Read More
Familiar with the economics theory of scarcity ? Here's a... Read More
Dating on the Internet is growing rapidly year after year,... Read More
Being an expat in a foreign country where you don't... Read More
So how can a blind date increase your psychic abilities?... Read More
There is truly a revolution going on in the online... Read More
If you're worried and upset about your physical flaws, which... Read More
"I'll call you this week". "Yes, I'd love to see... Read More
Valentine's Day!What a great idea to set aside a day... Read More
It begins with you, and your attitude. There are a... Read More
Ever noticed that when dating, no one really wants to... Read More
Today there are many single women over the age of... Read More
Watch Brad Pitt, George Clooney, or any other man with... Read More
Back in the days when I was a teenager, I... Read More
So you are thinking of giving online dating a try... Read More
So the big night is quickly approaching, your first big... Read More
In a contemporary Christian world, there is a hidden reality... Read More
Did you catch the dating mistakes made during episode one... Read More
Sweet flowers alone can say what passion fears revealing Thomas... Read More
Dating |