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"Meet a man, get married, have a family.
That’s the timeline women have historically been sold as the most successful pathway to a happy life.
But despite that messaging being shoved down our throats at every conceivable opportunity, women have had enough.
New data has revealed women are sick of the constant pressure to follow traditional relationship timelines, with 1 in 3 now stating they’re “no longer focused” on achieving the societal milestones.
The findings, uncovered in the 2024 annual dating report from Bumble, shows women are ';pushing back'; and are instead prioritizing finding the right partner instead of rushing to hit 'outdated' goals.
'Women are increasingly looking around and wondering why they feel the need to follow an outdated rule book when it comes to their dating journeys and relationship milestones,' Lucille McCart, the dating app’s APAC communications director, told news.com.au.
'In fact, 31 percent of women say they are no longer focused on adhering to traditional relationship timelines and milestones. So timelines are out, and choosing your own path is in.'
New 2023 dating trends revealed by Bumble
The popular dating app, which has been around for almost 10 years, also said there had been a rise in the people valuing engagement on issues that matter to them, a trend dubbed 'Val-Core' dating.
'In practice, this looks like doing something that our parent’s generation would have thought unthinkable – bringing up topics like politics, the patriarchy, climate change, racial injustices, or even the rising wealth gap on a first date, or even earlier,' McCart said.
'I know when I was growing up my mum told me it was the "height of rudeness" to ask someone how they voted, but for young people, discussion about how they planned to vote in the recent Voice referendum – and asking others how they planned to vote – was all over social media, and dating apps by extension.'
Other dating habits on the rise included 'Betterment Burnout', which refers to Aussie singles who are 'rebelling against constant self-improvement', and a spike in sport as a popular commonality."