Sex & Relationships-Harlequin Romance Survey
SURPRISING SEX AND RELATIONSHIP FINDINGS
by Lisa Blake
Earlier this month, Harlequin, the famous publisher of romance novels and other types of “reading entertainment for women,” released its annual Romance Report findings.
How does your relationship compare to the HR survey? Do you agree with the findings?
And seriously, 12% said…” liked his cute dog” *sigh*….The survey does NOT say how old the participants were, but something tells me…the age is quite young.
http://lifestyle.sympatico.ca/Relationships/galleries/articles/romance_survey_findings.htm?feedname=photo_gallery_lifestyle_romance_report&pos=1&nolookup=true
The study surveyed women about various aspects of our contemporary romantic situation, such as how we feel about our love lives, what we look for and don’t look for in a partner, and how we communicate in the age of smartphones and Facebook.
“Today, women consider themselves more independent and powerful than ever before – yet we’ve found that many of the traditional beliefs about romance, dating and relationships still persist,” said Harlequin’s Senior Manager of Public Relations, Michelle Renaud, in a statement. “Additionally, we are seeing new challenges as women are managing their image on a digital level. There is a real need to curate an online persona as much as a real-life presence in an extremely connected society.”
Let’s take a look at some of the key findings and discover something about ourselves! Men should really be reading this too. It would give you guys a little insight.
1. We’re bored, bored, bored
64% of respondents reported that their dating life was ”boring” — regardless of relationship status! Guys, if you’re reading this, take note! We need you to step it up.
2. We’re optimistic
Good news, though. 84% believe romance is out there and they will find it, while 89% of women believe that the best days of their love lives are still ahead. So, there’s hope.
3. We know what we like
The “traditional charms” of a man remain the most popular ”turn-ons.” These are, sense of humor (82%), killer smile (57%) and, amusingly, an “accent” (23%). 12% liked him having a cute dog.
4. We like chivalry
91% of women surveyed believe dating rules have become more flexible, yet just over half of us still expect a man to ask a woman out (59%), hold the door for us (54%) and pay for the first date (51%).
5. We do our research
52% of us use Facebook to research a prospective first date. 17% Google him and 5% check out his Twitter. How we contact a prospective date depends on how old we are. Text messages were most popular among 21-24 year olds (74%) while older women prefer to make a phone call (80%) and 18-20 year olds are significantly more likely to communicate via Facebook than older women.
6. We send sexy messages (and some of us send naked pictures)
52% of women aged 25-35 said they have never participated in online dating. 43% of single women have sent “sexts” (sexual text messages) and 27% of all women have sent a naked photo in an email or text. Those in a serious relationship are even more likely to send sexts (57%).
7. We know what we don’t like
Among the top factors women listed as ”deal breakers” were being too needy (32%), dependence on a BlackBerry/ iPhone (31%), having too many Facebook photos with an ex-girlfriend (29%), being grammatically challenged (24%) and still living with his parents (20%).
8. We define romance as “thoughtfulness.”
Women surveyed counted “thoughtfulness” (76%), “appreciation” (70%) and “intimacy” (67%) as definitions of romance. Also high were remembering the small details (56%) and being protective (37%). Less common words used to describe romance were “sex” (26%), fantasy (15%) and “gifts” (11%).
