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Why women are better off making the first move on online dating sites

The female advantage: there are 1.5 men for every woman on the online dating site OK Cupid. Peter Scholey/Getty Images

Ladies waiting for a man to make the first move are doing it wrong, suggests a new online dating report.

OK Cupid found women are two and a half times more likely to get a response than men if they send the first message. They’re also reportedly more likely to snag a more attractive mate.

Why is that, you wonder? “Everyone’s a reacher,” explain the folks at OK Cupid.

“People tend to reach out to someone more attractive than they are. To put a number on it, men are reaching out to women 17 percentile points more attractive, and women contact men who are 10 percentile points more attractive. This means that if a woman does nothing, her inbox will be filled with less attractive men.”

Women rarely initiate the conversation, though, the data found “which means they’re settling and not even realizing it.”

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Here’s a look at a couple other highlights from the report:

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  • Men between the ages of 20 and 40 send the most messages.
  • When in comes to the idea of splitting the cheque, 43 per cent of women are in favour (compared to 17 per cent of men).

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