This thesis investigated women’s self-presentation when seeking a romantic partner on an online dating site. Fifteen online dating profiles written by women, ages 25 to 29, seeking a male partner were collected and analyzed. Narrative analysis was used to study the profiles’ thematic content and structural form. From the thematic analysis, two stories emerged: the Single Woman Story and the Relationship Story. Within the Single Woman Story, there were four themes: Poetic and Philosophical, Idealistic, Independent, and Active. Within the Relationship Story, there were two main themes: Adventures of a New Life Stage, and Sharing a Life with Someone. From the structural analysis, a continuum was evident: at one end, women focused primarily on themselves (Who I Am) and at the other end, women primarily focused on a potential partner (Who You Are). The strengths and limitations of the study, along with implications of the results are discussed.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:OGU.10214/3603 |
| Date | 09 May 2012 |
| Creators | Turner, Emma |
| Contributors | Ashbourne, Lynda |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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