The main factor determining success on dates has been named

The older a woman is, the harder she feels it is to find a partner. This factor proved stronger than income, education, and even the local economy. This is the main conclusion of a new study by researchers from Queensland University of Technology and the University of Melbourne, published in the journal Evolutionary Psychology (EP).

The study involved 1,072 adults actively using Australian online dating services (875 men and 197 women). They were asked questions about how difficult they believed it was to find a partner in their area, how easy it was for men to obtain well-paying jobs, and to what extent women were financially dependent on partners. Responses were compared with objective data on income, unemployment, and sex ratios by postal codes.

Age turned out to be the most powerful predictor of how a person assessed their dating prospects. Young women aged 18 to 35 generally felt that finding a partner was not difficult. After 40, this indicator dropped sharply — women perceived the dating market as extremely competitive. The authors note that this shift coincides with the active childbearing years: during this period, financial dependence on a partner is objectively higher, which changes the perception of relationships.

Men generally believed that it was easier for women to find a partner than for men — and the gap in this perception was greater among men than among women. High personal income correlated with a more optimistic assessment of one's chances — for both sexes.

Interestingly, in areas with high unemployment, women rated the dating market as more active. The authors explain this simply: people without jobs have more time for socializing and lower material expectations for a potential partner.