Editing Flirting (section)

=== Gendered roles===
{{Main|Dating#Gendered norms and preferences}}
[[File:Eugen de Blaas The Flirtation.jpg|thumb|''The Flirtation'' by [[Eugene de Blaas]]. A study of body language: a man flirting]]
Certain types of flirting seem to vary by gender. Henningsen and colleagues' study demonstrated that flirting with sexual intent was found to be more prominent amongst men while flirting for relationship development purposes was more often employed by women.<ref name="Flirting with meaning: an examinati" /> Henningsen also found that women may engage in "practice flirting," that is, behavior to evaluate potential partners.<ref name="Flirting with meaning: an examinati" />

The [[parental investment|parental investment theory]] predicts based on [[evolutionary biology]] in case of a risk of [[pregnancy]] with gender differences in [[parental investment]], that females would be more selective than males and courtship would be more commonly initiated by males.<ref>{{cite book| last1=Campbell| first1=Bernard| title= Sexual selection and the descent of man| date=1972| publisher=Aldine| pages=1871–1971}}</ref> In case of no risk of [[pregnancy]] this gendered effect is predicted to be reduced.<ref name="m376">{{cite journal | last=Woodward | first=Kevin | last2=Richards | first2=Miriam H. | title=The parental investment model and minimum mate choice criteria in humans | journal=Behavioral Ecology | volume=16 | issue=1 | date=1 January 2005 | issn=1465-7279 | doi=10.1093/beheco/arh121 | doi-access=free | pages=57–61 | url=https://academic.oup.com/beheco/article-pdf/16/1/57/17274400/arh121.pdf | access-date=5 January 2025}}</ref>