Beyond the Swipe: Gender Diversity and Interactions in Dating Apps

Sabina Bercovich Szulmajster , Centre d'Estudis Demografics, UAB
Francesco Rampazzo, University of Manchester
Diederik Boertien, Centre d Estudis Demografics (CED)

Relationships are related to many aspects of well-being and represent key dimensions of the life course. However, transgender, non-binary, and gender diverse (TGD) people face particular obstacles in partnering markets. As dating apps have become a central space for meeting romantic partners, this research examines how TGD individuals navigate these platforms. Using behavioral data from 34,139 users of Zoe, an LGBTQ* dating app for queer womxn in the United Kingdom (2023-2025), we investigate two key questions: Do TGD users show different levels of engagement compared to other groups? And do they receive different returns from their engagement in the form of matches? Negative Binomial regression models reveal that TGD users engage substantially more with the platform, with trans women giving approximately three times as many likes as women, and non-binary and other gender-diverse users also showing elevated activity. However, this heightened engagement does not translate into proportionate matches. Ordinary Least Squares regression and Coarsened Exact Matching analyses demonstrate that TGD users experience systematically lower like-to-match conversion rates, even after comparing with similar users in terms of age, profile characteristics, and liking patterns. These findings reveal significant inequality in the digital dating market. As online platforms are the primary sphere for modern partnership formation, this "matching penalty" for TGD individuals likely acts as a structural barrier in the earliest stages of partnering processes. This digital stratification may directly contribute to observed demographic disparities, such as lower percentages of TGD people in registered partnerships, and consequently perpetuate long-term disadvantages in well-being.

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 Presented in Session 72. LGBTQIA+ Life Course Transitions and Trajectories