Elective Affinities 2.0?

Although Pierre Bourdieu’s works treated partnership formation, the processual and intersubjective character of mating and the gender-specific resources convoked in reciprocal evaluations and rating practices are blind spots in his perspective based on homophilous lifestyle preferences. Consequently, this article develops a framework of mating processes extending Bourdieu’s theory and thereby provides a starting point for empirical assessments. Using data taken from a major German online dating provider, the article shows that, due to the dyadic nature of encounters, the pressure of self-presentation and choice and the high degree of competition between many potential partners, online dating is an ideal-type market that enables the detailed study of classificatory processes. Beginning with an elaboration towards a general model of reciprocal classification in mating, refining the Bourdieusian model of partnership formation, the paper explains the data’s structure and its operationalization from methodological and methodical points of view. Finally, a simplified, empirical application of a model of classificatory mating practices is presented and discussed, suggesting that homogeneity (rather than homophily) is reinforced, not undermined, by the technical conditions of online interaction.