Anyone who sends an email to Kathrin Grüneis, a matchmaker in Zurich, receives an automatic reply: “I’m currently receiving a lot of inquiries and need some time to process them.” The love business is booming. She is experiencing “a rush”, says Grüneis. “On the one hand, this is seasonal. The need for togetherness increases in the fall and in the run-up to Christmas.” Then there is the coronavirus crisis. “Many fear a second lockdown. Singles don’t want to experience it alone again. That’s why they are currently making more of an effort to find a partner.” According to the Federal Statistical Office, one in five people in Switzerland is single. Among 18 to 24-year-olds, the proportion has risen to over 50%. Singles are also on the rise in most other age groups. They use traditional dating agencies to find a partner, while others try dating platforms. The matchmaking app Tinder has 6.2 million members worldwide in 2020. There are 1.5 million dates per week. The company does not disclose figures for Switzerland. Last year, 1.9 million members registered with the online service Parship, more than 150,000 of them in Switzerland. “The number of new registrations is rising steadily,” says Parship spokeswoman Stella Zeco. There are social reasons for the increasing number of singles, says Grüneis. “In the past, you were ostracized after a divorce and ruined as a woman. Nowadays, many women are economically independent.” This makes the desire for “true love” all the more important, for both women and men. “This naturally also increases the demands on a potential partner,” says Grüneis. This is reflected in the statistics. According to a survey by Parship, every third single person has been single for more than three years. 30 percent also state: “I am probably too demanding.” Another reason: the desire for independence. “Being single is no longer a stigma these days,” says Parship psychologist Dania Schiftan. This does not only apply to women. The situation has also changed for men. “Today, it’s no longer just about working and starting a family,” says Schiftan. Freedom and the possibilities of how you can lead your life have increased. Despite all this, the psychologist says: “Even today, many women and men still have a great longing for a partnership.”
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