I'm curious about modern women's views on sex and dating, and I suppose this isn't a horrible place to ask since female Kiwis tend to be refreshingly blunt with their opinions.
I've been out of the dating pool for a while now, so I'm a bit out of touch, but being around other dudes I've noticed a rise in I guess what I'd call a sort of sexual conservatism, that is rejecting not just hookup culture but even casual dating in general, they have a strict list of values they expect out of a partner, that kind of thing. I always thought it was a sort of cope for loneliness, reframing one's isolation as some spartan trial that one endures as a testament to their devotion to their own ideals or whatever. It stems from some good observations, like that empty hedonism and a myopic focus on sex aren't going to lead to real happiness or fulfillment, but a lot of it is just an overcorrection that hurts more than helps.
I'm all used to that, but recently I was surprised to hear women saying similar things about dating, that they don't want to date and would prefer to settle down as quickly as possible. I found it interesting because I always knew women to mostly want more autonomy in a relationship, and that they dated a lot because they were quite careful about who they settled down with, having heard and seen (and on occasion lived through) plenty of horror stories about men who seemed good only to turn out abusive.
Maybe it's just in my head, I'm wondering what the women here make of it. I know a couple women whose dating strategy seems to be "don't date at all and at some point the right man will just show up and we'll get married." There's also women pushing back against this trend of accusing women of being pick-mes for almost anything, and in general the way LGBT groups plant invariably plant their flag firmly inside feminist spaces wherever they're found makes me wonder if that too doesn't have something to do with it. I'd love to hear thoughts.