Cross-cultural dating patterns on an Israeli campus: Why are Russian immigrant women more popular than men?

Abstract

This study focused on reported dating patterns between Israeli-born and immigrant students from the former Soviet Union. Earlier survey findings indicated that twice as many Russian immigrant women reported having had a romantic relationship with an Israeli-born partner than did their male counterparts. Six focus groups were conducted on two Israeli campuses with third-year BA students. Results suggest that Russian women are ‘popular’ in part because of their perceived compliance with gender role expectations (i.e., passive and accepting), whereas Russian men are not as popular precisely for the same reason (i.e., adhering to the traditional masculine role in courtship). Across participants, however, those who were most prone to dating Israeli peers were those who felt more integrated and secure in Israeli society, had better Hebrew proficiency, and reported having a greater number of same-sex Israeli-born friends.