On a date         (Image Source)

If you are just beginning to date for the first time, newly single, long-term single, or somewhere in between, there are many facets of dating that can be both exciting and challenging. For example, when to have sex? And what does “having sex” actually mean to you? Do you want to be friends first and leave all physical contact for after you get to know the person or go with the flow of expressing your sexuality as you choose to? Or, how do you decide something that is in between these two? How has this worked out for you? What about all the physical complications and what about birth control?

Besides all the questions above, there is also the question of attraction. How does attraction work? Why do you keep meeting the same “type” of person even if he/she is not working out in the long run? How important is the physical side of things for you? How much do you worry about your own looks?

For straight women, it can feel like men have the advantage in the dating world. Women often wonder why the man didn’t call back, even after a very nice time. Women worry about how much to call, how assertive to be, how to get the man’s attention. On the other hand, some women find it hard to be friendly with men because of the unwanted aggressive attention that comes with that.

For gay women, it can be hard to find comfortable ways to meet other women, and to have privacy in an often interconnected world where many of the people you might be interested in have already been involved with you or each other!

There is more to write about, but for now I will close with something I feel is very important as a goal in dating for women: how to feel safe and keep your self esteem intact. As a start you may want to think about what these two factors– safety and self esteem mean to you.