Are you looking for love? Do you worry that you will never find that special someone? Or maybe you aren't looking for that much commitment. You'd just be happy meeting someone worthwhile from the opposite sex. Well, did you know that only 38% of females snowboard compared to almost 62% of men? What does this have to do with finding a match, you ask? Everything. Absolutely everything.
If you are a single male snowboarder looking for a potential match you're riding in a saturated market, literally. There are almost twice as many men as women that snowboard. That's not good odds for finding a prospect, not good odds at all. So am I suggesting you pick up skiing instead where your odds are much better? Not if your heart isn't in it. But, if you are desperate enough for interacting with the opposite sex, then yes.
What I am saying is that men and women alike bitch and moan about being single and not having dating prospects, then the men go to the bars to commiserate and women go shopping to spend away their misery. News flash: those are some of the worse places to find what you are looking for. If you want to maximize your match potential then it would be a good idea to expand your horizons a little.
For example, women did you know that 40% of men say their top travel destination is Asia? Or men, did you know that 81% of the people who do yoga are female! So here is a novel idea for all you single and searching folks out there...find a few next activities that are more popular with the opposite sex.
Before you write off finding that perfect someone, take a few moments to reflect on where you are looking for love.
But, where do I find this information, you ask? Don't worry, I've put together a list of activities where disparities exist between male and female participants. While at first glance the percentage differences may seem small keep in mind that even a 1% difference in an activity that has 10 million yearly participants equates to 100,000 more individuals. And all of these activities have a greater disparity than 1%.
So before you write off finding that perfect someone, take a few moments to reflect on where you are looking for love. You may discover that you're searching in the wrong places. But, before we go any further, I can already hear women out there hissing under their breaths, and saintly men screaming that I'm telling people how to hack the relationship/ dating system and pretend to be something you're not.
NOPE. I'm saying, it may be time for you to find a new activity that you enjoy doing and that is more opposite sex friendly. I'm not telling anyone to lie in order to meet people, I'm telling people to try some things that sometimes can be gender stereotyped...like yoga or video games, because you may just have some damn fun doing it as well.
Gender Breakdown of Specific Activities:
Criteria:
- Activities must be high-volume, or over 1 million yearly participants.
- There must be a disparity.
- All data is backed by research unless otherwise stated.
*Note: Even though an activity may be dominated by a specific sex your chances of meeting someone from the opposite sex may still be better than that of another activity. (ie. Both Running and Volunteering are female dominated, but 35% more men volunteer than run.)
The Data:
| Activity | Females | Males |
| Running/Jogging | 22% | 20% |
| Pilates | 74% | 26% |
| Lifting Free Weights | 20% | 80% |
| Hiking | 31% | 69% |
| Shopping | 47% | 38% |
| Billiards | 15% | 75% |
| Marathon Running | 43% | 57% |
| Volunteering | 71% | 55% |
| Visiting Coffeshops | 53% | 47% |
| Going to the Movies | 52% | 48% |
| Going to Church | 62% | 38% |
| Attending Festivals (Music and otherwise) | 58% | 42% |
| Yoga | 81% | 19% |
| Sports Fans | 51% | 66% |
| Broadway | 68% | 32% |
| Video Games | 44% | 56% |
| Pet Owner | 57% | 44% |
| PADI Scuba | 35% | 65% |
| Stand up Paddle Boarding (age 18-24) | 68% | 32% |
| Stand up Paddle Boarding (age 25-44) | 53% | 47% |
| Kayaking (age 18-24) | 62% | 38% |
| Rafting | 40% | 60% |
| Canoeing | 43% | 57% |
| Sailing | 14% | 76% |
| Soccer | 20% | 80% |
| Libraries | 52% | 39% |
| Skiing | 42% | 59% |
| Snowboarding | 38% | 62% |
| Walking | 57% | 43% |
| Bicycling | 24% | 76% |
| Bowling | 46% | 54% |
| Men Dominate | ||
| Female Dominate |
Top Travel Destinations:
| Travel Top Destination | Top Spots | |
| 60% of Females | Europe | Italy, Greece |
| 20% of Men | Europe | |
| 40% of Men | Asia | Honk Kong, Toronto |
Researched, But Unconfirmed:
These activities were researched, but definitive percents could not be found. The best I could find was single case studies or multiple sources confirming the same thing.
| Activity | Dominated by: |
| Boxing | Men |
| Football | Men |
| Tai Chi | Women |
| Cardio Kick Boxing | Women |
| Wine Tasting | Women |
| Taking a class (dance, cooking, etc) | Women |
| Sports bars | Men |
| Ice Skating | Women |
| Horseback Riding | Women |
| Backpacking | Men |
| Baseball | Men |
| Amusement Parks | Women |
Top 5 Cities with Highest Single Female Population:
Memphis, TN
Jacksonville, FL
Detroit, MI
Charlotte, NC
Philadelphia, PA
Top 5 Cities with Highest Single Male Population:
San Jose, CA
Denver, CO
Sand Diego, CA
Minneapolis, MN
Seattle, WA
About the Author
