Sharing is Caring: Slim Pickings for Single Women in the District

Source: Yahoo! News.


As if dating isn’t enough of a struggle for high achieving females, Bloomberg reports that Washington has slim pickings for single women.

Christy McConville, a 34-year-old political communications professional, told the publication that she spent nearly ten years in the nation’s capitol before moving to the sunny skies of Pasadena, California, where she had better luck meeting guys. 

Washington residents are “really sort of dating their jobs,” McConville said, adding that she can breathe easier in the Golden State because men are eager to learn about her favorite hobbies rather than her job. “It’s sort of like an intellectual meat market.”

As noted by Bloomberg, women also outnumber men in the district. Washington has 112 women for every 100 men, the highest female to male ratio in the country. According to the head of one social networking group, speed-dating gatherings for college-educated singles sell around 50 percent more tickets in D.C. than in the majority of other U.S. cities. In Washington, people tie the knot so late in life that the city has more infertility experts than most places, according to one sociologist.

Dating in Washington could be great for men but awful for women, as more females come to D.C. than males. Men have an assortment of choices while women may have to compete for attention.

“Young women are more likely to come into the District than young men,” said William Frey of the Brookings Institution.

There’s also the issue of people being too career-oriented and committed to their work to get into relationships. Hence, these individuals marry late in life and face fertility issues.

“It’s very much, ‘I have all these things I need to accomplish,’” said 24-year-old Lisa Hough, an engineer for a construction company.

With job demands, it’s not unusual for people to put the moves on others at unlikely locations.

“I once had a guy try to pick me up at Costco,” said Heather May. “He asked me if I was from around here because I looked tan. It actually almost worked. I’m so pale, I love being told I look tan.”


I can't REALLY speak on this issue too much because I haven't dipped my feet into the proverbial dating pool in the District. I have lived here for 3 years and while I have not been on many dates BUT when I purposefully availed myself to getting a date, I did not encounter a problem. I know a slim dating pool can be a challenge when you live in a city of successful working people but its not a reason to be alarmed. If you live in a place where the pickings are slim, change the places you go. If you spend all of your time in Starbucks and libraries, open up your fishing net to new places. Go do things you might have considered off limits before like clubs, bars and events you might not otherwise go to. Don't give up because what you are doing to get a date doesn't seem to be working. Make a switch up, re-evaluate your direction and then make a judgment call.