Dating Agencies

Dating Agencies - The Matchmakers of the New Millennium?

Are Dating agencies the matchmakers of the new millennium? In many respects this indeed seems to be the case. An increasing number of people transfer the responsibility of finding a suitable partner - at least during the initial phase of the search - to dating agencies. Where are the similarities and differences between the matchmaking tradition of former times and today’s dating agencies?

1. Matchmakers of Old - Arranged Liaisons

In thinking about matchmakers one is reminded of old-fashioned dating rituals of the 19th century. Matchmaking was then understood as a vocation. Older persons of good social standing - mostly women - were believed to have the best experience in order to decide which unmarried men and women would make a good couple. This decision was not primarily based on the potential partners’ personal feelings. Instead family and social connections determined future husbands and wives. Together with parents-in-law to be the matchmakers supervised the process of courtship. Hence liaisons and ensuing marriages were arranged.

2. Dating Agencies - Modern Matchmaking

The criteria for successful matchmaking have changed over the last century. The reason for this can be found in the transformation of inter-personal relationships and social networks. This development was accompanied by a diminution of social constraints placed on the individual. Traditional matchmaking surely clashes with the - by far - greater personal liberties we enjoy today. The questions of how the right partner should be and who it should be now rest entirely with the seeker him- or herself. Nevertheless, the possibility of getting a little help in the search for the right partner has again become popular with many people. Dating agencies like PARSHIP represent the modern equivalent to traditional matchmaking. They, similar to their precursors, assist in filtering information about potential matches out of a large number of possible partners. Moreover, the positive implication of the concept of matchmaking lies in its orientation towards establishing harmonious and thus lasting relationships. In this respect the traditional matchmaking of former times and modern dating agencies have the same goal.