Online dating and such.

A female friend of mine, recently divorced -- and as a disclaimer, with whom I've never had a sexual relationship with -- decided she wants to find a new relationship online via Badoo. She feels that, given her age (41) and the "limited free time" she has from her job as financial controller of a multinational, it would be easier for her to meet Prince Charming Ver 2.0 online.

Fine in theory, only cynical me pointed out to her a couple of things:

• About 52.4% of users of online dating sites globally are males, while 47.6% are females, with a median age of 42;
• Only 40% of people who list themselves "single" are really single;
• Men tend to lie about their age (younger by an average of 10 to 13 years), height (taller by average of 2-3 inches) and income (higher by 40%);
• Women tend to lie about their weight (lighter by an average of 10 to 15kgs), physical build and age (12 to 20 years younger);
• One in five women over the age of 35 posted fake pictures of themselves or remained anonymous;
• The average courtship for a couple who met online lasts 18.5 months, versus 42 months for couples who met otherwise;
• Surveys have revealed that more than half of male users were really looking for casual encounters (read: one night stands), flings and extra-marital affairs compared to the same numer of female users seeking serious relationships;
• 1 in three women globally have had sex with men they met online on the first encounter, and about 45% of such encounters were unprotected casual sex;
• OKCupid's research revealed a woman's desirability peaks at 21 years of age, women aged 25 to 26 years of age had more pursuers than women in other age categories, and men aged 37 years and older had twice as many online pursuers as women of the same age;
• 1 out of 10 sexual offenders use online dating sites to meet people;
• And not surprisingly, men lie more than women on online dating websites.

So from the looks of it, promiscuous males are more likely to be more successful at getting what they want than women from online dating sites, and what's more, the Internet has helped sexual predators find their victims more easily.

To sum it in a nutshell, if you were a woman aged 35 years and above, weighs more than 58kg, in the "slightly plump" body type category and looking for a serious relationship, you're better off participating in those lunch actually and speed dating sessions than looking for Mr Right online.

Of course, I'm just making sweeping statements, because there's a 37.4% chance she could land a guy who was looking for a serious relationship and really didn't mind how she looked-- but she had to content herself with a dude who is likely to be less educated than she was and earned a lower income.

SO ALL THAT SAID, lady friend obviously wasn't pleased. I told her she'd be better of repackaging herself as some hot cougar on the hunt at the pubs and just enjoy being single for a while. I mean, after one divorce, she'd be better off giving herself a break.

And for once, I meant the advice I gave.