What Does Dating Mean To A Woman? | Know What She Wants


One woman’s circumstances, thoughts, and needs can be totally different from the one next to her. It would be foolish to say that both of them go on dates for the exact same reason.

Dating means an excellent opportunity for a woman to filter out anomalies since they’re quite good at picking up red flags. It means fulfilling her desires and fantasies while finding the one she ultimately plans on being consistent with. She can explore many options while meeting new people.

Going over each of the detailed reasons mentioned below will give you deep insights into why she is a suitable match or an unsuitable one for you.

What Does Dating Mean To A Girl?

Here is a list of reasons a woman might step into dating. She might be with you due to just one of these or multiple objectives.

Of course, not all of them apply to every woman because each personality is vastly different. But we can draw a few commonalities.

It is always advisable to look for signs about why she is dating you to better understand where you stand with her.

1. A Chance To Know Her Date

Dating gives a woman the opportunity to know more about her date. That includes the kind of person they are, their likes, dislikes, interests, and hobbies.

This provides early signals of whether it would be good to let the dates develop into something more personal and serious.

Even if two perfect people are dating each other and they have nothing in common, problems will certainly crop up sooner or later.

Thus, it makes sense to stick to people with whom the woman finds a lot in common. It is better for mutual understanding in the long run.

Of course, women cannot know everything during the dating period but can at least form initial opinions on which they can base their further decisions.

A Chance To Know Her Date

2. An Opportunity To Form A Bond

Dating is a great way for a woman to form deeper bonds once the awkwardness around the first few dates is over.

When she does find something in common with her date, things develop fairly naturally from there and can serve as strong foundations for a relationship later down the road.

However, she doesn’t get enough time to form strong bonds if she jumps into a relationship after just a handful of dates.

This reflects in the relationship sooner or later as frictions are much more frequent among couples who did not take enough time to understand each other during the dating period.

So, don’t be surprised if she isn’t on board to call you her soulmate after just a few dates. Instead, let her take her time and rather encourage the idea.

3. Setting The Tone For Future Expectations

Dating also allows women to gauge the tone for future dates and know what to expect.

If both she and her date are honest and transparent about it, they can let each other know whether they’ll be exclusive or date other people simultaneously.

If both of them are okay with the idea, things can be taken further from there without risking anyone getting hurt in the process.

However, if even one of them isn’t cool with the idea, it allows the woman a chance to end things there on a friendly note.

There is nothing wrong with dating multiple people as long as both parties are truthful about it. Dating is, after all, a chance to play the field.

4. Having Fun Without Being Branded As ‘Loose’

A guy with lots of girls is a stud, whereas a girl with lots of guys around her must be loose, right? Well, at least this is what society teaches us.

However, due to a gradual shift in the mindset, the modern woman knows that she has every right to satisfy her carnal urges as much as other genders.

Therefore, she might see dating as a means to just live in the moment and let off some steam.

She won’t necessarily date someone with the mindset of wanting something long-term.

If it does develop into something serious, she won’t oppose it, but if it doesn’t, no love is lost either.

TABLE: Comparing Peer Response Experience Of Men And Women On Sleeping With Multiple People

ResponseGenderPercentage
CharacterlessMale7%
Female78%
Asking for it Male1%
Female91%
Player (positive connotations)Male89%
Female3%
Player (negative connotations)Male34%
Female68%
CheapMale4%
Female84%
Source: Based on a survey by RebootLoveLife.com consisting of 156 males and 153 females in the age group of 18-54 years.

5. Checking Physical Compatibility

Many women indulge in physically intimate relations during the dating period without waiting to formally enter a relationship.

This gives them a great chance to see physical compatibility in the long run. Bedroom intimacy is an important factor in a relationship.

If things do not look somewhat great initially, even after a few times, the chances are somewhat bleak that things will go uphill from here.

Thus, women can end things and look for a more compatible partner. This does not necessarily mean that you lack somewhere.

It’s just that she needed something else to be pleased.

However, if you feel you could not satisfy her like many other women from your past, improve your game instead of cursing yourself.

Perhaps, this will also give you a chance with her if she does come back for a few more rounds.

6. Meeting New People

Some women see dating as an opportunity to just meet new people without any strings attached.

Whether or not something romantic should necessarily come out of it isn’t on their mind, at least initially.

This is not a bad approach by any means since they are looking for that connection or the X factor. Their strategy is to build upon things from there.

If she doesn’t find anything intriguing about you, she might not be interested in dating you at all.

This technique is different from going on a few dates first and then looking for something unique in you. For dating her, she wants you to have already crossed that barrier.

Meeting New People

7. Possibly Indulging In Unethical Practices

Now, this is definitely not true for most women out there, but terms like a gold digger and sugar baby exist for a reason.

Some women specifically date a multitude of people at once or string one after the other to fulfill their needs.

This could include getting fancy meals at restaurants, expensive gifts, free drinks, and a regular supply of trendy clothes and accessories.

Of course, the people at the giving end are often left heartbroken since the woman is not emotionally attached to them.

The surprising fact is that despite being aware that they’re being used, some people cannot detach themselves from the situation since they fear they might not find anyone else.

8. Exploring Her Options

A woman might want to explore multiple options through dates before settling for the one. This allows her to minimize the chances of being with a person who isn’t right for her.

Further, different people bring different things to the table, allowing her to choose the one she fancies the most.

It is always a good habit not to just settle for the first person that comes along.

Imagine the havoc it will create if a woman has the mindset that she can find someone better while she is in a relationship with you.

Thus it is better to let her think like that in the dating period itself.

And if she does find you to be the best among her dating pool and wants to settle down, that says a lot about you. Do not be afraid of some stiff competition.

9. Living Her Romantic Fantasy

Dating gives women a chance to live all their romantic fantasies that they have been harboring ever since they were kids.

All the movies and fairytales culminate into a handful of scenarios when she is finally dating someone.

If the dates are horrible, she carries the fantasy forward until she dates another person.

If the dates are great, but the resulting relationship is poor, it results in the same cycle of unfulfilled fantasies and moving on to the next date.

However, the dreamlike situation for a woman is that the resulting relationship is nothing short of a dream and her love sweeps her off her feet.

She has all the right to feel like the happiest woman in the world and will expect you to understand the same even if she gets a bit too picky.

10. Breaking The Norm In Conservative Cultures

Some cultures put a lot of restrictions on their women. The whole idea of women being ‘allowed’ to go out and choose their partners is alien to them.

Thus, the surrounding society hammers it into the psyche of these girls from a young age how wrong it is to date.

But they see a whole different story when they explore the world through the internet. The temptation is even stronger due to the fact that there is a restriction in place.

Going against the norm would send a strong message to those who try to put women in the shackles of their patriarchal whims and fancies.

Going out and dating is just one way of not conforming to unreasonable demands.

11. A Hustle To Find Someone Perfect

Many times a woman would date with the intention of finding the perfect one. Not all women are looking for something casual every time.

The idea behind going on these dates is to find someone extremely well suited with whom they can have a fulfilling and long-lasting relationship.

Even if the excursions do not culminate into the desired result, she would be willing to try for as long as it takes. Why?

Because she’s a die-hard romantic at heart and believes that someone perfect for her is out there. And for this belief, she is ready to suffer heartbreaks if they occur.

A Hustle To Find Someone Perfect

12. Overcoming The Monotony Of Singlehood

A woman might have a dry run for a long time even though the odds of approaches are tilted in her favor.

This might be due to a number of factors like an extremely busy personal life, past trauma, or just not feeling like dating somebody.

However, sooner or later, she might feel the need to have a companion with whom she can spend some special moments.

And this will be her cue to get back in the field. Singlehood is good if you explicitly want to be single.

But if she wants to be with someone great, then every day she spends as a single woman will bring in a little bit of frustration.

13. A Step Towards Settling Down

Dating might be her initial stepping stone towards the objective of ultimately getting married.

She might have dated casually in the past for multiple reasons, but this time it might be because she wants to settle down with someone for good.

Casual dating is all fun and play, but it does get boring after a while.

Thus, when a woman wants to take this part of her life seriously, she’d not want to fool around anymore and actively look for dates who are themselves looking for something stable and long-term.

This increases her chances of finding someone looking to get married eventually.

14. A Search For Stability

Even for those women who are not looking at getting married anytime soon, seeking a stable relationship isn’t a far-fetched idea.

It might be that she is not the kind of person who believes in casual dating or might have tried that in the past but doesn’t want to anymore.

Many women want the next date to be their last with whom they can have a long-term relationship even if marriage isn’t on the cards in the near future.

A woman might even never want to get married but still seek stability in her dating life by seeing just one person.

15. A Search For Red Flags

Dating gives a woman a fantastic opportunity to see the red flags in a person.

She can do this by gauging why the person has been single till this point or by observing the person from this point onward.

Catching on to the abnormal stuff quickly saves her from a lot of headaches down the road, as she definitely wouldn’t want to deal with a psycho later on.

Hence, she may filter out people fairly quickly based on her parameters of what a red flag is.

Of course, if you find yourself at the receiving end of her rejection, it doesn’t always mean that there is something wrong with you.

However, if you are indeed a jerk, making some changes will not hurt you or the people around you.

16. Getting Regular Action

Physical needs are nothing to be ashamed of and women today know that well.

Gone are the days when intimacy was taboo, and a woman was hushed up if she brought the subject up.

A woman can and would go on a spree of no strings attached nights if she wants to. Of course, she’ll need to be careful about STDs, though!

But for her, dating does not need to mean anything more than some good action.

Of course, there are pros and cons to this approach like everything else but do not deny the possibility that you and she might be on a different page over where these dates are heading ultimately.

Save yourself from some burn if you are looking for anything serious.

Getting Regular Action

17. Seeking Exclusivity And Consistency

Dating one person after the other like clockwork does not do any good to you.

Not only do you burden yourself with unnecessary responsibilities and expectations, but it is also harsh on your physical and mental health.

Honestly, the whole drill of getting disappointed, finding someone new, and dating over and over again is very taxing.

Sometimes a woman would rather want to be consistent with just one person. And with this person, she’ll seek exclusivity from early on.

She won’t be okay with the idea that both are dating many other people at the same time to see who fits perfectly into their definition of a reliable partner.

18. Getting Approval From Friends And Family

Dating for a woman can also be an excuse to let her friends and family get a feeler when she subtly introduces her date to them.

The meeting might happen after a few dates, and where it goes from there depends a lot upon how her loved ones reacted to your presence.

For most women, the meeting friends and family part comes much later down the line when things are serious.

But some also prefer doing it early on so that her close ones catch any red flags she might be missing due to being smitten.

19. Caving Into Peer Pressure

A woman might just plunge into the dating field out of peer pressure.

Her best friend might be dating someone awesome currently while she has been a mere spectator all this while with no story of her own.

Usually, these types of dates don’t end well because it is not about the person the woman is dating.

It is only to feel accepted in the circle of people around her who give her weird looks knowing that she has been single for a while now.

Social rejection makes people do things they are not at all comfortable with. There are high chances that she may find the actual dates and the person quite disappointing.

Conclusion

Not all women are dating due to just one reason: to find love. Yes, most of them have that pinned as one of the goals, but several reasons exist for different needs and wants.

Knowing why she is dating you will help you achieve better outcomes from the scenario as you’ll figure out whether the two of you are on the same page.

Of course, being oblivious to her reasons will pop up a few surprises in due time and you might be left with an aching heart.

Shashank Verma

A trained theatre actor and a STEM graduate who brings perspectives and methods from these worlds into dating and relationships. Also a big time Krav Maga enthusiast and practitioner.

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