Gendered age preferences for potential partners: a mixed-methods study among online daters in Shanghai

Abstract

Abstract Single people increasingly look for romantic partners online. We use online dating as a lens to understand age preferences for potential partners and their implications for relationship formation and family change in China. Situated in Shanghai, this mixed-methods study employs a complementary design to analyze data from 5,888 dating profiles and 29 interviews with online daters. Using a two-sided analytical approach, we find that age preferences are highly gendered: With increases in age, men increasingly prefer partners who are much younger than themselves whereas women do not show much variation in preferred age gaps between them and their partners. In-depth interviews reveal the deep roots of these preferences. Gender differences in age preferences are shaped by the stigmatization of single women and men past a certain age, the centrality of reproduction in carrying the family line, and the highly differentiated gender roles in Chinese families. Taken together, online dating likely reinforces existing gender- and age-based hierarchies in China’s marriage market. Gender asymmetry in mate preferences may contribute to further increases in marriage delay and non-marriage in urban China.