Are Unemployed Men Undateable?

Being out of work is hard, no matter where you are in your life. The stress of trying to pay the bills while looking for a job can be almost overwhelming but what is almost as bad is the lack of social standing. Suddenly, going to parties with friends, family gatherings or even meeting new people often involves getting roped into long discussions about the job search. Of course, everyone wants to offer advice and not all of it is helpful. It's enough to make a job seeker not want to attend the events at all. Which, from a networking point of view, isn't a good idea.

If all of that wasn't bad enough, a recent survey of 925 singles on the dating site, It's Just Lunch, concluded that almost three quarters of single women say that the would be unlikely to date a man who was unemployed. What's more, 33% of the women said that they would not date an out of work guy at all.

It's interesting to note that this bias against the unemployed seems to affect males much more than females. When the single men were asked, two thirds of them said that they wouldn't have a problem dating an unemployed woman and a whopping 46% of the respondents said that they would "definitely be OK with it".

It made me wonder, why is there such a bias? Do women really assess who a man is based on their job? I'm not sure what the answer is and as a woman, I can speak only for myself, but I don't think I would have a problem dating a man who was unemployed. That isn't to say that it wouldn't be a red flag, because, honestly, it would. In my mind, a man who has worked at a particular job for a long period of time shows stability and responsibility. However, just because he is out of work doesn't make him less stable or less responsible. The problem is that joblessness is often a symptom of deeper issues like addiction or mental health problems. So, it's important to find out what the situation is.

Keep in mind that this was just an informal survey and it only sampled people who were registered on that particular dating site. Still, do you think that unemployed men have a harder time finding dates? Why do you think that is? Have you dealt with this type of discrimination? Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.