Single Women Pursue Their Man on Sadie Hawkins Day

(datelists.com - November 9, 2005) Sadie Hawkins Day was first introduced in November of 1938 to provide women the opportunity to pursue the objects of their desires. Now, 67 years later, single women in the United States are still open to being romantically assertive. Match.com surveyed more than 800 single adults and found that 87 percent of the women surveyed indicated that they would make, or at least consider making, the first romantic move on someone they were attracted to. Surprisingly, only 83 percent of men said they would do the same.

According to the Match.com survey, common feelings such as shyness and fear of rejection may be more prevalent in men today than in women. The survey indicated that 17 percent of men, as opposed to only 13 percent of women, noted that they were too shy or fearful of rejection to put themselves out there and make the first move on someone they are very attracted to.

"I am the outgoing one, he is the shy one!" said Heather Filipowicz, now married to a man she met on Match.com. "I was a little nervous about contacting him first, but I am a pretty independent and strong-minded woman, so I emailed him. I actually don't think Joe (her husband) ever thought twice about the fact I contacted him first."

For online dating participants, it looks like a lot of women aren’t worried about making the first move. In a survey of more than 300 married people who met on Match.com, 27 percent of women stated that they were the ones to make the first move by contacting a guy (now their current husband) through an introductory email.

"With more than a decade of helping single people connect with each other, we know that the more proactive our Match.com members are, the more successful they will be in their search for someone special," said Kristin Kelly, senior director of public relations for Match.com. "Online relationship sites are unique because they allow women and men to pre-screen potential dates and make the first move via email, which is often less intimidating than walking up to a stranger in a club, at a bar or even at the gym."

Not all dating practices have seen similar progress, however. In certain instances, old fashioned courtship rituals still apply. Match.com reports that 71 percent of singles surveyed still expected men to pay for the Valentine's Day date. Similarly, in an August 2004 survey of more than 1,400 single people, 47 percent of women said if a potential romantic partner does not open the car door for her, it could be a relationship "deal breaker."

Sadie Hawkins Day was originally the invention of Al Capp, creator of the Li'l Abner comic strip. Capp imagined a day in his fictional Dogpatch, U.S.A., when all single women could literally pursue their man of choice and if the bachelors were caught they were soon walking down the aisle. This fictional world so captured people's imaginations that Sadie Hawkins Day passed into the realm of modern folklore. According to the Old World Almanac, the first Sadie Hawkins Day took place on Wednesday, November 9, 1938, but it's usually celebrated on the nearest Saturday to accommodate all the "girls-ask-boys" school dances and other events. This year, Sadie Hawkins Day will be celebrated on November 12.