Date-onomics: How Dating Became a Lopsided Numbers Game

Date-onomics: How Dating Became a Lopsided Numbers Game

by Jon Birger Author

It’s not that he’s just not that into you—it’s that there aren’t enough of him, and the numbers prove it. Using a combination of demographics, statistics, game theory, and number-crunching, Date-onomics drives home what every single, college-educated, heterosexual woman in search of a partner needs to know: The “man deficit” is real. The shortage of college-educated men is not just a big-city phenomenon frustrating women in New York and L.A. Among young college grads, there are four eligible women for every three men nationwide. This unequal ratio explains not only why it’s so hard to find a date, but a host of social issues, from the college hookup culture to the reason Salt Lake City is becoming the breast implant capital of America. Fortunately, there are also solutions: what college to attend (any with strong sciences or math), where to hang out (in New York, try a fireman’s bar), where to live (Colorado, Seattle, “Man” Jose), and why never to shy away from giving an ultimatum.