Arizona women used this one word to describe dating men

A new poll asked Arizona women to describe men in one word. The results were ... unpleasant.

December 27, 2024

Dating can be fun as long you take proper safety precautions. neajjean/ CC BY-SA 2.0/Flickr

What happens on the ground matters — Your support makes it possible.

We’re aiming to raise $7,000 by August 10, so we can deepen our reporting on the critical stories unfolding right now: grassroots protests, immigration, politics and more.

Contribute Now

Progress to goal

$7,000

$1,800

Audio By Carbonatix

[
          {
            "name": "GPT - Billboard - Slot Inline - Content - Labeled - No Desktop",
            "component": "21251496",
            "insertPoint": "2",
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
          },{
            "name": "STN Player - Float - Mobile Only ",
            "component": "21327862",
            "insertPoint": "2",
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
          },{
            "name": "Editor Picks",
            "component": "16759093",
            "insertPoint": "4",
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
          },{
            "name": "Inline Links",
            "component": "17980324",
            "insertPoint": "8th",
            "startingPoint": 8,
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
            "maxInsertions": 25
          },{
            "name": "GPT - 2x Rectangles Desktop, Tower on Mobile - Labeled",
            "component": "21934225",
            "insertPoint": "8th",
            "startingPoint": 8,
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
            "maxInsertions": 25          
          
          },{
            "name": "Inline Links",
            "component": "17980324",
            "insertPoint": "8th",
            "startingPoint": 12,
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
            "maxInsertions": 25
          },{
            "name": "GPT - Leaderboard to Tower - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
            "component": "17012245",
            "insertPoint": "8th",
            "startingPoint": 12,
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
            "maxInsertions": 25
          }
        ]

By all accounts, dating in 2024 is hard. And it seems to be particularly hard in Arizona, where recent studies have indicated that we're one of the least safe states for dating, due to our high rates of STIs and romance scams, and that we are overall the second-worst state in which to be looking for love.

But now, here's more bad news.

A website called DatingAdvice.com recently conducted a survey of 3,000 American women to ask one question: When it comes to dating, what one word would you use to describe men?

Arizona's word was ... detached.

Ouch.

Arizona was one of 22 states that came up with a negative word. Twenty-three states had a generally positive answer, and the remaining five states gave fairly neutral responses.

The most common result of the survey was a good one: Women in six states — Alaska, Kentucky, Michigan, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming — came up with the word "hardworking." Men are "respectful" in Alabama, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Iowa and Nebraska. North Dakota men are "generous," and Idaho men are "dependable."

But women in New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts called men "aloof." Colorado men are "rude." And here in Arizona, men are, yes, "detached."

When asked what women want to change about men from their state, they definitely had some ideas:

Communication style: 30%
Level of ambition: 24%
Sense of humor: 18%
Approach to relationships: 17%
Emotional availability: 11%

We can't wait to see if the website does a similar survey on how men would describe women.

Jennifer Goldberg is the Senior Editor of Culture at Phoenix New Times. She joined the New Times staff in February 2016. In her role, Jennifer writes and publishes profiles of both local and regional musicians, previews upcoming performances and provides guides on the best of Phoenix’s entertainment scene. She also oversees the Best of Phoenix. Jennifer previously worked for Jewish News of Greater Phoenix. During her career, Jennifer has received awards from the Arizona Press Club, the Arizona Newspaper Association and the American Jewish Press Association. She holds a bachelor’s of arts in English from Arizona State University.

A message from Jennifer Goldberg: If you value independent journalism, please consider making a contribution to support our continued coverage of Phoenix's vibrant culture and arts scenes.

Support Today