DEEcon Seminars: Does Online Dating Challenge Gendered Marital Practices?, Dr. Gina Potarca
Channel: DELab UW
Date: 22/09/2021

Dr Gina Potarca (International University in Geneva) presented the results of an analysis of panel data on married couples, examining the relationship between the context of the encounter and the likelihood of engaging in egalitarian sharing of household responsibilities.

The use of online dating services is becoming increasingly common and socially endorsed. Through unique features (e.g. greater choice, anonymity, compatibility matching), dating platforms can allow users, especially women, to streamline the process of negotiating dating scripts and - potentially - bypass normative expectations of relationships in which female partners bear the burden of housework.

By providing more information about potential candidates, the online dating platforms can become a partnership space in which women choose men for non-economic reasons: good communication skills or the ability to provide emotional support.

Considering the link between a high level of emotional intimacy and the quality of communication in a partnership and the equal sharing of household responsibilities, dating platforms' users would form more egalitarian relationships than those choosing partners in a conventional way.
Is the hypothesis true? Check this out!