Love, Sex & Relationships | Dating, Divorce

Friend dating

Looking for friends on a dating app can be super awkward

Abby Green Abby Green gave online friend-dating a try after having trouble making mates as an adult.

'Quirkyalones'

I’m not afraid of commitment - I just love my independence

Melissa Banigan "While I haven't yet found 'The One', at least I'm not trapped with Mr. Wrong."

Chill-free zone

Why I am absolutely fine with having 'no chill'

Dierdre Fidge Policing other people's feelings and expressions is unfair, dangerous and boring, writes Deirdre Fidge.

Year of Yes

Changing my dating profile from straight to bisexual

Kait Heacock Kait Heacock is more excited by fluidity and change than commitment.

Being the oldest sister in the family and the only single one

Darby Baham The awkward moment other folks love to point out how single I was ... and how attached my two younger sisters were.

Excess baggage

How much baggage should I unload on a first date?

Shannon Lell "The last thing you want to be on a first date is broken," writes Shannon Lell.

Getting divorced

How to say 'I'm getting divorced' and avoid a pity party

Wendy Paris Wendy Paris realised she needed a prepared script about her divorce, something she could memorise and repeat.

'Talk about pleasurable sex in schools'

Matthew Raggatt Survey finds flaws in school sex education.

Real-talk

Why did everyone suddenly stop asking if I've met someone?

Shannon Reed "Did I expire at 40 and just not notice?", asks Shannon Reed.

Dating disasters

The 10 worst people you're likely to date in your 20s

Danielle Sepulveres You know those people who tell you that dating in your 20s is joyous, carefree and full of possibility? This author not one of those people.

Starter marriage

How getting divorced in my 20s turned me into a better person

Philippa Moore "I learnt that the greatest failure in life is not a divorce, but refusing to take responsibility for your own happiness."

Starter marriage

Philippa Moore Philippa Moore tells why getting divorced in her 20s was the best thing that ever happened to her.

Alone, not lonely

How to be completely alone without becoming lonely

Bella DePaulo People who aren't afraid to be single and who embrace solitude are less likely to experience loneliness. They are psychologically strong in other ways, too, writes Bella DePaulo.

Single mums

How single parenthood makes me a better mum

Sarah Thompson Separated with two young children, Sarah Thompson was dreading her future. But what she hadn't imagined was that life would become a whole lot easier.

Friend zone

How to recover from a broken friendship

Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen We hear so much about how to deal with the end of romantic relationships, but failed friendships can hurt even more.

Best laid plans

Meshel Laurie When a male escort was hired for Meshel Laurie, she knew exactly what to do.

A singular happiness

Sarah Thompson Separated with two young children, Sarah Thompson was dreading her future. But what she hadn't imagined was that life would become a whole lot easier.

How they met

What's the secret to long-lasting love?

Jane Rocca Jane Rocca asks four successful couples - Collette Dinnigan and Bradley Cocks; Jane Caro and Ralph Dunning; Marta Dusseldorp and Benjamin Winspear; and Natalie Bassingthwaighte and Cameron McGlinchley - how they got their start... and why they are still flourishing today.

Just eloped

Why I have no regrets about choosing to elope

Kate Stanton Kate Stanton bypassed the big white wedding and, despite some anxiety about breaking the news to her mum, has no regrets.

Why you shouldn't watch rom-coms on Valentine's Day

Laura Lane and Angela Spera You're not a bird, he didn't have you at hello. And most rom com scenarios are creepy as hell.

How they met

Jane Rocca Jane Rocca finds out how four relationships got their start ... and why they are still flourishing today.

Just eloped

Kate Stanton Kate Stanton bypassed the big white wedding and, despite some anxiety about breaking the news to her mum, has no regrets.

How well does 'feminist Tinder' work, really?

Clem Bastow 'Bumble' worked for Amy Schumer, but how does it actually stack up in real life?

Love at 60

Are you ever too old for another great love?

Olivia Clement The idea of 'settling' has negative connotations. But, as we grow older, is it sensible to look for a stable partner rather than a passionate love affair?

Dangerous liaisons

Victoria Thompson Victoria Thompson played with fire when she began an affair with her therapist.

Moving in

Living alone, I learned to be happy single. So why move in with my boyfriend?

Daniela Petrova "This apartment is where I learned I don't need a man to be happy," writes Daniela Petrova.

Jenna Price

What it's like to stay with one person for three decades

Jenna Price Jenna Price on what she's learned from 33 years of marriage.

Break-ups

Learning to love what you thought you lost in a breakup

Penelope Wilson When you break up with someone, there's a lot you have to learn to let go of - but there's also a lot you have to take back, writes Penelope Wilson.

Friend dating

Why are so many friends commitment-phobes?

Eva Harder Here are a few trajectories Eva Harder's promising friendships have followed.

The people-pleasing trap

Antonia Hoyle Do you so want to be liked you'll say "Yes" to (almost) anything? Was that a "Yes" we heard? If so, it's time to break the habit and put yourself first.

The awkward politics of wedding invites

Miran Hosny "Genuine invitations aside, a good portion of guests are asked along to avoid causing offence."

Dating 'advice'

Eight places women should forget about going to 'meet men'

Clem Bastow Single women who are actively 'looking' are inevitably directed to certain locations to 'find' someone.

Love on the spectrum

How autism brought one couple together

Lisa Bonos Like all couples, Dave Hamrick and Lindsey Nebeker have to work on their relationship. But they're also proof that being 'on the spectrum' needn't get in the way of love.

Fast love

The under-appreciated value of short term relationships

Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen It's possible to feel more in a few months with one person than in a few years with someone else. So why do we judge relationships by their length?

Date the Nerd

Why telling women to date nerds is misguided

Stacia L. Brown "I'm just really sick of "nerds" still being set forth as idealised relationship partners."

Old friends

The irreplaceable bond of decade-long friendships

Fiona Gibson Author Fiona Gibson has found her mates from 30 years ago are the ones she can always turn to.

Real life dating

What I learnt from three months without dating apps

Lisa Bonos "My app hiatus was a much-needed break, but not everything about it was wonderful."

Sex education

Five ways sex ed failed to prepare me for life

Penelope Wilson A list of things Penelope Wilson wishes she didn't have to learn by experience.

Relationships

Why I'd rather be an option than a priority

Suzannah Weiss Why Suzannah Weiss is happy not to be the most important person or thing in her date's life.

Why can't we recognise my aunt's lifelong love?

Monique Farmer The section of my aunt's death registration, asking for her partner's name and other details, was left sadly blank. As if she'd never loved or been loved.

Third wheel

Five reasons I love being the third wheel

Elizabeth King Some of my healthiest and most satisfying relationships are with couples, writes Elizabeth King.

Holiday blues

Singles, want to know how to survive the holidays?

Vicki Larson ... Stop reading survival tips.

The 'kids' talk

Does online dating make the 'kids' talk easier?

Suzannah Weiss Dating profiles allow us to be upfront about issues that may be deal-breakers down the track.

'There's nothing wrong with me, I'm just asexual'

Robin Dibben In an increasingly sexualised world, what is it like 'coming out' as someone who has no interest in sex?

Life & Love

Adults with disabilities have a right to intimacy too

Chris Serres Adults with disabilities must overcome constant barriers to pursue a fundamental human right – loving relationships.

Heteronormativity

What straight couples can learn from how LGBTI people have sex

Olivia Clement An interesting perspective from two trans people on the way a lot of us are having sex – and having orgasms.

Ball-and-chain

The irony of calling women balls-and-chains

Natasha Monday The concept of women as men's captors is bizarre because, unlike women, few men are actually forced into marriages.

You shouldn't need to choose between your children and partner

Andie Fox Literary couple Ayelet Waldman and Michael Chabon open up about the very real impact of children on marriage.

Marriage health

The number that measures the health of a marriage

Jenna Price A new study takes us one step closer to discovering which marriages make us sick.

Are sex robots really a 'commercial inevitability'?

Tracey Spicer A future in which 'sex dolls with feelings' will have complex moral, legal and social ramifications.

Grief & Loss

The second loss of getting rid of a loved one's things

Lesley Garner Nothing prepares you for the emotional force of the things people leave behind when they die, says Lesley Garner.

Are men only attracted to smart women in theory?

Natalie Reilly Let's call it the "Stay in Your Lane" theory of the fragile male ego.

Gay PDA

The double standard on displays of gay affection

Steven Petrow For same-sex couples, even a simple kiss may be viewed as provocative or flaunting.

Textual relations

Are our archived conversations causing us unnecessary heartache?

Clem Bastow Clem Bastow is familiar with the awkwardness of revisiting on painful old texts.

Why don't some men realise it's over until it's too late?

Natalie Reilly "Men hope [the problem] will go away, while women get fed up with the lack of emotional connection and simply cut the knot."

Dom's married

Ten things that happened at my wedding in India

Dom Knight "I can promise no more mopey columns about being single. From now on, I'm going to be one of those infuriating smug marrieds," writes Dom Knight.

Funny girls

Why aren't women allowed to be funny on dates?

Natalie Reilly A new study reveals the different dating outcomes for funny men v funny women.

Clem Bastow

Why do we still care so much about 'meeting the parents'?

Clem Bastow "It's 2015; surely we can judge a relationship's seriousness (or lack thereof) independently of whether our partner has met our parents yet?"