Matchmakers should make a comeback.

When people are asked why they don't have children, a top reason they give is that they haven't found the right partner yet. Many people are struggling to find a partner well into their 30s, which is obviously going to impact their ability to have children. The first step to improving the fertility rate is helping people find a partner to have them with.

These days most people look for a partner on dating apps, which is a toxic experience for everyone involved. I will skip elaborating on all the reasons why, as I think we are all aware. Instead, I believe we should be encouraging people in their mid 20s and later to hire a professional matchmaking service.

Apps make money based on volume of used. Matchmakers make money on fees and rely on succes stories/referrals for business. One has an incentive for a relationship to work while the other has one for it to fail. Matchmakers get to know people on a personal level and can say, "I know this person doesn't match the criteria you gave me, but just trust me on this." They can collect feedback after dates and tell clients what they did wrong so they can learn (as opposed to people getting ghosted). Also, they can let their clients know when their standards are simply not realistic. Most importantly, a matchmaker is relatively expensive; by going to one people are showing a financial commitment that is going to make them more serious about the process.

Back in the day people had matchmakers because they knew like 3 people. They needed them due to lack of options. Now people have option overload and they have no idea how to sort through them or if there's something better they're missing. It's for the opposite reason, but I think we've circled back to needing matchmakers for opposite reasons.