Dating as a widow can be complicated. Sometimes your head may be saying it's time to move on but your heart isn’t ready yet. Other times, you may be ready to hit the dating scene but you’re afraid of being rejected or getting hurt.
Widows and widowers can go through tough periods. They have to overcome grief, loneliness, and insecurities. This makes it difficult to move on from their previous partner and start dating again. They may be unable to make that connection in real life and that's where online dating sites come in.
If you're ready to date again, check out the best free dating sites and resources for single widows in this article. These all allow widows looking for a new relationship to move at their own pace.
Best Online Dating Sites and Resources for Widows
AshleyMadison
After facing a breach a few years ago, Ashley Madison relaunched and now offers a safer online dating experience. It provides the best online dating experience for anyone looking for a casual relationship. It promotes the idea of open relationships, polygamy, and monogamy.
Ashley Madison has a massive active user base and the dating pool includes both married and single users. This is not the site if you're looking for love so if that is what you're after look elsewhere. The majority of relationships on Ashley Madison are based on mutual understandings by like-minded singles. These individuals are all for unconventional types of relationships.
Signing up takes just a few minutes and after that's done, you can browse member profiles right away for a potential partner. Women can use Ashley Madison for free while men need to pay. Men will have to purchase credits for chatting online with women on the site.
Ashley Madison can also keep your identity or charges hidden. The discreet anonymous payment option and the option to blur your picture if you choose to upload one are great if you do not want to be identified by anyone you may know.
Pros:
- Best for casual relationships
- Free for women so has more women users.
- Anonymous features
Cons:
- Men need to pay to use the site
- Can be expensive to unlock advanced features
Heated Affairs
Heated Affairs is an online dating site geared towards affairs. As a widower, this might not be exactly what you are looking for but their community is fellow married individuals. Chances are they’re unhappily married if they are on an affairs site.
Heated Affairs help you find the best ways of discovering and meeting people who may be in a similar situation or have had the same life experiences. Best of all, most of the information and sites they recommended are discreet so if you don't want anyone to know that you're dating again, they won't.
Pros:
- Best free online dating resource for widows and widowers
- Discreet
- Tons of information
Cons:
- The site looks plain and boring
eHarmony
Harmony is the best widow/widower dating site for those looking for a long-term or serious relationship. It has the most success stories with most of the matches made here resulting in marriage. This online dating site will do all the work so you don't have to.
eHarmony's main objective is to find the formula of love to help you form a genuine relationship. The site requires you to take a lengthy personality test. The test uses psychological truths to identify areas of compatibility between two individuals.
This test gets to the heart of who you are and what you're looking for. It includes questions like “What are your main reasons for wanting a relationship?” and “What do you want your partner to like about you?” These help the site to deliver highly compatible matches for you.
All you need to do is sign up, take the test and eHarmony shows you potential matches based on those answers. There's a free membership plan but if you want more out of the site, then you can upgrade to any of its premium paid memberships.
Pros:
- Best widow dating site for serious relationship
- Lengthy personality test for the best matches possible
- Free membership plan available
Cons:
- Limited free version
- Paid plans can be expensive
Elite Singles
EliteSingles is a top-tier online dating site for widows and widowers. It is best known for attracting well-educated and successful singles. The focus here is quality over quantity. Approximately 82% of the users on this online dating site hold a Bachelor's, Masters or Doctorate degree.
You can register, browse profiles, receive matches, and flirt by sending likes to someone online. You can customize your dating profile preferences to ensure that your daily matches meet your standards.
However, you can only message others if you sign up for a paid membership plan. This is a good thing for user privacy and safety. This online dating protector feature means you won't have to worry about dealing with creeps, cybercriminals, or other unsavory characters in your inbox.
EliteSingles has an impressive track record with more than 2,500 men and women finding love on this dating platform each month. This great dating site offers 24/7 customer care support during your dating journey.
Pros:
- Best for well-educated and successful individuals
- Enhanced security measures and messaging filters
- 24/7 support during your dating journey
Cons:
- Paid membership only
SingleParentMatch
If you're a single parent and looking for love, then SingleParentMatch is a good option. SingleParentMatch has been around for over 16 years. You can find several singles over the age of 50 and the rest of the users are younger single parents.
Signing up is quick and easy. You don't have to fill in a lot of personal details to complete the sign-up process. Decide how many details you want to disclose but it is recommended to write a short story about yourself and your life in general to give people a glimpse into who you are.
Perform free searches by entering a few search filters including age, gender, or others. You can download the mobile app and keep looking for love even when you're on the go. However, you'll have to pay if you want premium access to some of SingleParentMatch best features.
Pros:
- Quick sign-up
- Dating website and dating app
- User-friendly interface
Cons:
- Only accessible in the US and Canada
- Prices for advanced dating features are high
ChristianMingle
ChristianMingle is a faith-based online dating site for meeting Christian singles. ChristianMingle has the highest percentage of Christian members than any other dating site or dating app in the world. This makes it the best dating site if you want to find someone for a relationship grounded in Christian values.
Christian Mingle has led to more Christian relationships and marriages than any of its competitors. In a survey of American Christians, it was found that 29% of all Christian marriages that originated online started on ChristianMingle.
ChristianMingle can provide solace to widows and widowers who are struggling with loneliness, grief, and uncertainty. It provides a god-centered dating experience to finding love and companionship again and doesn't cost anything to take that first step.
Sign up for free and gain access to the dating profiles of Christian singles in your area. You can even send free messages to a select number of matches.
Pros:
- Best faith-based dating platform
- Free signup
- 24/7 customer support via email or live chat
Cons:
- Limited communication for free users
- Not everyone on the site is Christian but they are willing to date a Christian
SilverSingles
SilverSingles is a widowers dating site for singles over 50. It offers a secure dating experience with an upstanding and verified member base. It includes various security features that prevent members from falling victim to romance scammers.
For example, free members cannot view photos or send messages unless they subscribe. This shows that they are truly invested in the process of finding someone to date. However, you don't have to subscribe to explore what the site has to offer. Free members can use the search filter and like profiles without paying a cent.
Create a free profile and fill out your dating preferences and the matching algorithm then selects up to seven daily match recommendations. You can specify if you're looking for singles in a specific age range, mile radius, ethnicity, or religion. These can help to further narrow the results to provide better matches.
SilverSingles is an exclusive over-50 dating site for retirees and senior professionals looking for a relationship or companionship. It is one of the best senior dating sites for widows and widowers No longer do you have to resign to a life of loneliness. SilverSingles can help you find someone to fill the void in your heart.
Pros:
- Best dating site for seniors
- Security features
- 7 daily match recommendations
Cons:
- Need to pay to send messages
- The mobile app can only be accessed by premium members
How long after a spouse dies is it okay to date?
Some widowed singles may find it hard to move on and the only person that can determine how long it takes is the person themselves. There is no standard period before you can date. It is always okay to date and everyone grieves differently. No one has the right to judge your decisions about your love life.
Some widows spend years before they're ready to dip their toes in the dating pool. Others may want a new relationship within months of losing their previous partner. It varies from person to person. Only you can tell when your heart has healed enough to date again. Grief and recovery have no standard recovery time, look into your heart and decide what it is you want.
How long are you considered a widow?
Some people may consider you to be a widow until you meet someone new and get remarried. However, this is just a label society gives to you and does not describe who you are. American women who are considered windows receive marital benefits for 2 years after the death of their spouse.
What is the average age a woman becomes a widow?
In the US, the average age of a widow is 55 years old. Most people tend to believe that widows are much older women living alone in retirement. However, this isn't always the case for everyone that loses a partner.
Sometimes women in their 30s or 40s end up losing a spouse which leaves them to navigate the working world, raising children, and reentering the online dating world on their own.
How to date a widow?
If you're a widow or widower dating, then you need to remember a few things. The first is to remember your partner for who they are. Quite often you may think that your partner was a picture of perfection but no one is. Remembering a lost loved one for exactly who they are will allow you to keep them in a place of honor in your heart and make space for the possibility of new love.
Do not compare and contrast your new partner and old partner if you want a happy relationship. These are two different people and comparing and contrasting will only end in frustration. That being said, it's not that you're not remembering the good of the partner you lost but it's about giving this new love the space to blossom and grow.
The future depends on you. take all the time you need to grieve and only enter the dating world again when you're ready. Keep in mind that you may hit a few snags before finding someone that you click with. The key here is to keep trying and keep approaching them in the right frame of mind. Life is all about taking chances so get out there and live.
Conclusion
Losing a spouse is hard and there is no rush to get back into the dating world if you're not ready. These dating sites and resources will be there whenever you're ready. Online dating allows you to set your own pace and date on your terms.
When the time comes and you're ready you'll know. Good luck and hope you get a second chance at love!
