2008 Woodie Awards
Oshiro looks at dating and relationships for project
Marissa Dubay
Issue date: 4/25/08 Section: Senior Projects
Pacific singles, take heed - the rules of relationship initiation are changing with the times.
For her senior project, "Romantic Initiation and Heterosexual Women at Pacific University: Social Exchange in Dating Relationships," Pacific student Tori Oshiro explained "how and why women in a collegiate setting initiate relationships."
"Relationships are constrained by the norms and values of society, so men are traditionally initiators, because it is not seen as feminine for women to do so," said Oshiro. "Extremely shy females use [shyness] as an excuse not to initiate."
But since the majority of college students are female, competition among women has put more pressure on them to make the first move.
"Due to a smaller male population figure, females may need to be more aggressive in order to 'get the guy,'" Oshiro added.
Oshiro gathered her data based on a "snowball sample" of several diverse, anonymous female participants at Pacific.
According to her research, respondents tended to look for a couple main traits in a potential boyfriend: humor, which "allows individuals to connect on a personal level," and open communication, or the "ability to listen attentively."
Physical attractiveness was another factor, although deemed less important than the others.
"Most people hate to judge based on looks…actually, I had to ask my participants directly about this characteristic," said Oshiro.
The costs of relationships for women, Oshiro found, were largely emotional, including a loss of freedom and a feeling of obligation to a significant other. For the most part, college women took their relationships very seriously.
Such a high value of romantic relationships as an important part of the college experience was one of the reasons Oshiro chose this particular project topic.
She also hoped the outcome of her study would help increase society's knowledge and understanding of women and dating in a college context.
For her senior project, "Romantic Initiation and Heterosexual Women at Pacific University: Social Exchange in Dating Relationships," Pacific student Tori Oshiro explained "how and why women in a collegiate setting initiate relationships."
"Relationships are constrained by the norms and values of society, so men are traditionally initiators, because it is not seen as feminine for women to do so," said Oshiro. "Extremely shy females use [shyness] as an excuse not to initiate."
But since the majority of college students are female, competition among women has put more pressure on them to make the first move.
"Due to a smaller male population figure, females may need to be more aggressive in order to 'get the guy,'" Oshiro added.
Oshiro gathered her data based on a "snowball sample" of several diverse, anonymous female participants at Pacific.
According to her research, respondents tended to look for a couple main traits in a potential boyfriend: humor, which "allows individuals to connect on a personal level," and open communication, or the "ability to listen attentively."
Physical attractiveness was another factor, although deemed less important than the others.
"Most people hate to judge based on looks…actually, I had to ask my participants directly about this characteristic," said Oshiro.
The costs of relationships for women, Oshiro found, were largely emotional, including a loss of freedom and a feeling of obligation to a significant other. For the most part, college women took their relationships very seriously.
Such a high value of romantic relationships as an important part of the college experience was one of the reasons Oshiro chose this particular project topic.
She also hoped the outcome of her study would help increase society's knowledge and understanding of women and dating in a college context.
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