Is Ageism Alive in Date Selection Among Men? Age Requests Among Gay and

We examine 2,400 personal ads from male advertisers collected from the Internet, focusing on age preference by race and sexual orientation. We look at whether advertisers display any age prefer-ence in personal ads and whether the preference varies by race and sexual orientation. We find that gay men are more likely than straight men to state an age preference. Also, the preference for younger partners intensifies among older advertisers regardless of race and sexual orientation. Youth is still a treasured commodity in date selection for men. However, some men, especially gay men, prefer more mature partners. At least 20 percent of gay Asian men in all three age groups prefer older partners. Further research is recommended to explore this exception among gay Asian men. Key Words: personal ads, dating, age preference, sexual orienta-tion Studies on date selection have shown that people usually have a preference for their prospective dates to be in a certain age group (e.g., Adam 2000). People often use age as a proxy for life stage, attractiveness, maturity, and other characteristics. Age preferences are often dependent on one’s own age. Adam (2000) points out that age preferences may be “fixed ” or “moving. ” When one’s age preference is fixed, this suggests a form of fixation even as the person ages. For example, a man in his twen-ties may have a preference for a partner around his age; as he reaches his fifties, he still prefers partners in their twenties. On the other hand, having “moving criteria,