Reasons for Hesitating Skinship... Divorced Men "Afraid of Rejection" vs Divorced Women "Afraid of Being Taken Lightly"

OnlyU Conducts Survey of 516 Divorced Men and Women
Shows Clear Differences in Attitudes Toward Skinship

Divorced singles (돌싱, returned singles) who have experienced pain once and continue dating with the premise of remarriage show clear differences in their stance regarding 'skinship' between lovers.

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On the 25th, marriage information company OnlyU and marriage information agency Bienarae announced that they conducted a survey targeting 516 men and women nationwide who hope to remarry (258 men and 258 women respectively).

Regarding the question about the 'impact of skinship shared early in dating with a remarriage partner,' 29.1% of men chose 'enhancement of intimacy,' while 29.8% of women selected 'meaning of expressing affection.'

When asked about how skinship affects the path to remarriage, men answered ▲enhancement of intimacy (29.1%) ▲overcoming monotony in dating (25.6%) ▲meaning of checking sexual compatibility (18.6%) ▲increased sense of responsibility toward the partner (16.7%), while women answered ▲meaning of expressing affection (29.8%) ▲enhancement of intimacy (26.4%) ▲meaning of checking sexual compatibility (18.6%) ▲increased sense of responsibility toward the partner (16.7%) in that order.

Regarding the progression (stages) of skinship, men and women showed clear differences. For men, it was ▲when having casual conversations (34.1%) ▲when mental rapport is established (33.3%), while for women, it was ▲when mental rapport is established (38.0%) ▲when having casual conversations (28.3%).

When asked about fears related to skinship, 33.7% of men answered 'fear of rejection when trying for the first time,' which was the highest, while 34.1% of women answered 'fear that responding easily to the partner’s attempts might be seen as being frivolous,' which was the highest proportion.

Son Dong-gyu, CEO of OnlyU, advised, "When men and women meet with the premise of remarriage, they naturally engage in skinship such as kissing at an appropriate time. If skinship is rushed or delayed without considering the partner’s position, it can cause unnecessary misunderstandings, so it is important to handle it wisely."

Meanwhile, according to the '2022 Newlywed Couple Statistics' announced by Statistics Korea in December last year, 79% of newlywed couples were first-marriage couples, and 20.7% were remarried couples. The remarriage rate increased from 19.9% in 2015 to 20.7% in 2022, and it is expected to continue rising as the society ages.