Dating today is a minefield of political correctness, social and cultural expectations, and a supposed freedom to date who you want regardless of age, race, gender or religion. Mixed with this is a society where single people are often working more hours than they’ve ever worked in the past, and are not able to get out and meet as many potential dates as they’d like. Younger people tend to be more free and easy with dating nowadays. The formalities of meeting parents, and only going to places where they are known are relics of a bygone age, as is the certainty that the man will both pick up the tab for the date, and make sure that his girl is brought safely home to her door. These things, once thought to be the sign of a true gentleman, are now deemed to be the sign of a male chauvinist who disrespects a woman’s right to be thoughtful as his equal! Dating has never been an easy experience, but in this free-to-choose culture, the structure of the old fashioned dates has disappeared and in its place is an uncertainty. Are you supposed to offer this? Should you do that on a first date? What is your date expecting from you? What are you going to do if they assume more than you’re willing to give? Are you certain that they are only dating you? What if they’re married and haven’t told you? What if you’re the only person that doesn’t know that they’ve slept with half of the office personnel? In the past these questions wouldn’t have been common because guys didn’t do that kind of thing, there was a certain unspoken contract about dating and what happened and when it happened. You would be unlikely to date a married person unless you knew about it, and workplace promiscuity was not quite on the level that it is today; oh sure they would have been the office Romeo, but generally his reputation would have been more talk than action, whereas today his known action is unfortunately only likely to be the tip of the iceberg!

The one shining point about dating today is this supposed freedom to date who we are attracted too. This however falls down when it’s clashed against social and cultural prejudice. It’s all very well to date the people you want, but only in so far as the other people around don’t find the relationship objectionable. When you enter today’s dating scene, proceed with caution. Keep your instincts sharp at all times and really listen to what people have to say. They may not be accurate in what they say, their opinions may not count for much with you, but by listening to the voices, you learn what external factors to the relationship that you may need to confront in due course.

You have probably seen it in the movies or on television. A group of men get together at their favorite hang out place and lament how tough it is to meet a good woman. You may even have experienced this situation in your own life.

Of course you can always meet women by going to a bar or a club. The problem with that is there will be a lot of competition from men who are looking for the same thing. The other dilemma is woman know this so the chances are they will be on their guard. It may come as a surprise to some of us but many women who visit nightclubs DO NOT want to be hit on.

If you want to meet women you have to go to places where the atmosphere is more conducive, the ratio of woman to men is greater and the competition is at a minimum. Sounds simple enough right? It can be. Check out these places.

1. The Boutiques You never have to worry about the ratio of women to men at these places because you will always be outnumbered. Most men will go out of their way to avoid boutiques. Yes they want to meet women but there are limits and going to a women’s clothing store qualifies as that limit. It’s just way too feminine.

And you know what? That’s the point. Check your ego at the door, be confident in your masculinity and go for it. What you will find is an incredible variety of women visiting these places on a daily basis. Now you are not going in there to lurk around to the point you make women uncomfortable and store security edgy. Go in there with the intention to buy something for the female relatives in your life. During the course of this, you can strike up a conversation with some of the clientele. Ask them for advice or compliment them on what they have purchased (and not just the racy stuff either). No doubt going to a boutique could make you a little uncomfortable and that is more than okay. This amuses many women and some of them will initiate the conversation with you. Enjoy and go with the flow. 2. Fabric and Craft Stores

Not every woman buys clothes off the rack. Many prefer to make their own .Even if fabric stores are not as prominent as they once were; they still exist in great quantity. The same goes for arts and crafts stores. You will run into women looking for material to create various art projects. These places are a goldmine for two reasons. One: like the boutiques, the ratio of women to men is overwhelming and two: creative women are some of the most fascinating women you could ever want to meet.

Sure you can sit around with the guys and sing the blues about how tough it is to meet women. You can also go to the same bars and clubs and compete with way too many other guys for the attention of a woman who will probably be on her guard anyway. Or you can get creative and start meeting new and different women at the boutiques, fabric and craft stores. Sure if the guys find out, they may laugh at you but guess what? You will be easily meeting new, attractive highly creative women. They won’t.