Online Dating Success Stories For People Over 50

While boomers are often targeted as technologically-challenged old-timers continually struggling to keep up with younger tech-savvy generations, individuals in their 50s and 60s are actually at the forefront of a trend based in cyberspace: the online dating scene.

Individuals such as 50-year-old Adrienne Montezinos, a recently divorced single parent who gets pre-date jitters after arranging a Match.com meetup, and Emma Ernst, a 66-year-old widow who still "wants it all", are poster children for the latest boomer trend. In the video report above, ABC News' Claire Shipman profiles the demographic determined to find love again.

According to ABC News, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that while divorce rates have dropped 30 percent overall for the past 30 years in the U.S., it has doubled among the 50-and-older crowd. The increasing amount of single boomers who will no longer settle for what ABC news calls "mediocre marriages" is apparent in the swelling numbers of Post50s taking advantage of online dating.

Industry leader eHarmony.com reports those ages 50 and older are one of the fastest growing segments among its more than 33 million users worldwide, according to USA Today. Similar trends have surfaced at competitor Match.com, where about 25 percent of its members are between 50 and 65. Boomers on Match.com have grown 89 percent in the last five years, site officials told USA Today, including 71 percent after a divorce and 11 percent who were widowed.

Indeed, with an environment as post50-friendly as the online dating community, one question remains to be asked of those older, eligible singles that haven't jumped on the bandwagon: What are you waiting for?

Here are the top five online dating sites we think are worth checking out:

Comments

[tjy]

09:14 AM on 01/04/2012

I am pretty sure that Huff does not want to promote a website like match.com. Not only is it estimated that at least 50% of the profiles on that site are scammers, the website itself also scams people to subscribe or renew their submiscriptions by sending them bogus winks etc., but there are also many complaints against the site regarding its billing practices. Please do some reserach before putting people in danger of being aggressively courted by scammers or being victims of less than savory business practices.

[michelleobamaok]

10:12 AM on 11/13/2011

Man, is this depressing.

[Jeff Burdick]

07:03 AM on 11/12/2011

Regardless of age, of course you can find love online, but like all dating it requires an investment of time to find the right one -- as my new humorous YouTube video "What I Learned from Online Dating" shares. http://tinyurl.com/3q9lazx But one fun tip that didn't make the cut: avoid profilers who wear t-shirts with an animal silhouette on it. They were dander incarnate in my book.

[jalicea2001]

09:23 PM on 11/11/2011

I wish I could add to these good online dating experiences. Unfortunately, I have yet to meet a man who is either available or compatiable. I joined most every dating sight over a 10 year period. Women are still judged based on age, it's still a double standard. It amazes me that men in their 50's are looking for women in their 40's or younger. I'm glad women are looking for younger men also these days but most of us are not all that comfortable with it. Maybe it's social conditioning that it's not ok for a woman to date a younger man, but is has always been ok for an older man to date a younger woman? It's the 21st century and we still have the double standard. I have withdrawn altogether from the online dating websites. Too much deception!

[emmapeel]

09:57 PM on 11/11/2011

I agree with what you say as I find at 53 I get hit on all the time by the 60 somethings while most guy's in the early 50's are looking for the 40's. Unfortunately, online or not this will never change.

[renee fisher]

09:02 PM on 11/11/2011

My husband and I met on Match.com and married three years later. We were both in our late 50s. My experience on Match.com for the first couple years I was on it wasn't favorable. Then, I discovered the secret. I released all expectation of how things should look. I released all attachment to how things should be. I had a two-pronged goal: I would use whatever time I had with someone at that first meeting to find out what about him was incredible. And I would leave him thinking "That was the most amazing hour I have ever spent (outside of bed)." As soon as I committed to that, there was no room left for worthless thoughts like "Is he my type? Does he like me? Do I like him?" all getting in the way of establishing a connection. The next 18 months was the most enjoyable period of dating I had ever had, and then my husband came along.

[emmapeel]

09:51 PM on 11/11/2011

Renee, congratulations but what questions did you pose to "find out what about him was incredible"?

[renee fisher]

10:53 PM on 11/11/2011

I would ask men what their vision was. I would ask what they were most proud of in their lives. (I care less about what people "do" than who they are.) I would ask them what the most amazing thing that ever happened to them was I spoke to a lot of men in that 18 month time period, and there was only one man who didn't tell me something memorable about himself. When I asked him what the most amazing thing that ever happened to him was, he said "When I learned the multiplication tables." I still think about that guy. So I guess, that, in itself is pretty amazing. :)

[emmapeel]

07:44 PM on 11/11/2011

All in all online dating has been a positive experience for me for my own personal growth at 53. I'm more confident in what I bring to the table, less hypercritical of others & have learned to enjoy the moment. I've met some super nice guys (some I remain friends with) & some "only a mother could love". I've been in two short term relationships, ironically both with widowers. One, widowed less than a year & clearly not ready (I was too naive to realize that) & the other widowed six years & still not over the death of his wife. I'm still plugging along but don't have the urgency I had when I first got divorced. I'm happy with me :)

[Amznlif]

10:32 AM on 11/11/2011

I love the inspiration in this article but online dating is a virtual chess game. Men want younger, women are unrealistic and then there's that elusive quality we all crave....chemistry. While I have met some really nice friends, I have failed to feel anything more....

[Sad But True]

11:32 AM on 11/11/2011

In fairness, women now want younger as well. I see PLENTY of women around 35 who specify their desired age range between 28-35, as well as women around 40 who specify 30-48.

Times have changed.

[Sad But True]

11:35 AM on 11/11/2011

30-38 (just so my point isn't totally lost). ;)

[Mother77]

09:23 AM on 11/11/2011

There are 7 Billion people out there, folks. Just follow your bliss.

[Sad But True]

11:33 AM on 11/11/2011

I live in a very family-oriented state. The vast majority of people are married with children (or at least divorced with children). It doesn't do me much good if they're out "there". I need them "here". ;)

[stopthemadness2008]

01:50 PM on 11/28/2011

Sad But True, I live in a very family-oriented state as well, and totally get your frustration...I'm moving to a much larger city in a more, shall we say, inclusive state next year when my divorce becomes final. I figure if I'm going to jump back in to the shark-infested waters, I at least need a larger and more diverse pool to swim in! ;-)

[Sandmanj]

09:10 AM on 11/11/2011

I met my then 34-year-old wife online when I was 51. It was a discussion group, not an online dating site. We were married within 8 months, and now have a 7 year old boy.

[mzrecycle]

08:52 AM on 11/11/2011

I divorced at 50, moved to another city and started another life. I really did my work on dealing with all the "stuff" of divorce. That took quite a while. That and going to school took my time for a couple of years. After that, I was interested in finding someone. I found a local paper at a natural food store. It had listings of all sorts of activities and groups. I chose a hiking group, which turned out to be one for older people. Within a couple months, I met a man and we had a nice conversation while hiking. He got my email from the group list and asked me out. We got married 3 yrs. later. It's been 6 yrs. and we're very happy and still hiking, tho not with the group.

[dwill123]

08:51 AM on 11/11/2011

People over 50 want some nookie too.

[FreedToChoose]

08:27 AM on 11/11/2011

Brabo! Touching stories. My wife won't let me.

[lana-in-louisville]

08:18 AM on 11/11/2011

Generally speaking women far outnumber men on these sites. There are an excessive number of creeps.....and older men prefer women a fraction of their age....total waste of time and $.

[Sad But True]

09:24 AM on 11/11/2011

It really is a total nightmare. Here's my breakdown on online dating. And nah, I'm not bitter. ;)

As you stated, women dramatically outnumber men on these sites. As I discovered first-hand via some of the women I've gone out with, they get outright slammed by winks and emails on a daily basis. It's the polar opposite of a man's experience. Sadly, most of these men are horrid, so women end up fearing the whole scenario. It breaks them down and makes them cynical to the point that they end up viewing all men they come across online with a sort of chemistry-shattering doubt. All the while, the genuine men out there end up tiring of the relentless rejection, so they pull away and stop "going after it" knowing that they'll probably never get a response anyway.

It's a perpetual cycle. I've tried the big 2 sites on and off since my divorce a few years ago and they have successfully squashed by once strong confidence (in the area of dating).

In other words, you're right, total waste of time and money.

[tjy]

09:21 AM on 01/04/2012

So true...and not only are these guys creeps...they are scammers. A friend and I signed up and within a week we both had a seemingly nice guy courting us who would turn out to be a scammer...and not a very subtle one at that.

It's the wild west out there and there needs to be some legistlation to make these sites more accountable...it's more or less a license to print money IMHO and many many people are being devastated financially and emotionally.

My blood boils everytime I see those bloody adds with happy smiling couples and phrases like..."1 in 5 meet online".

[Mdw01]

08:05 AM on 11/11/2011

I am amazed by the profile pics people use on these sites. Ladies, if you show your saggy cleavage on the site, we have nothing to look forward to later. If you cut your head off, clearly there is no reason to look further. Hair brushes are not optional. Makeup always helps and bandaid size skirts on over 50's are just not age appropriate.

[cupcake77]

04:16 AM on 11/11/2011

I met a couple of online people. They were such incredible kreeps i said never again.