If you want kids of your own though age matters. Once you're past 30 the whole fertility thing gets more and more iffy. In your early 30s your chance of success is pretty high. At 40 a third of all women are infertile, and those who try might have to try for years to succeed. The chances of miscarriage also increase. Post-40 it's the men who experience the rapid decline in fertility.
This is partially why late 30s dating is a minefield. Outside that range people in general are a lot more willing to take their time, either because they feel like they have all the time in the world, or because they don't really expect that the relationship will lead to childrearing.
"The western world sips from a poisonous cocktail: Polarisation, populism, protectionism and post-truth"
-Antje Jackelén, Archbishop of the Church of Sweden
Waxing philosophical about the nature of modern man does not actually help the OP that much. Trends/stats matter sometimes, but not so much that it really changes how any individual should try and be healthy and find a good partner and relationship.
Anecdotally, Austin has some fancy speed dating services that are mostly aimed at business professionals. You may want to look and see if there's something like that in your area, because I've read that they can be much more welcoming to people looking for something more substantial than a hook up. Look for something that's not a "singles night" at a bar or a singles meet-up group, but a curated service/event. It may still not work out, but it maybe more relevant to your interests.
I'm on dating services for casual reasons, and I still need to reject 98% of the messages I get, and have about the same failure rate of first dates. Finding people who are right for you is hard work, and takes time and luck. I recommend the D&D dating thread as well, it helps keep you grounded on how imperfect the whole process can be for everybody.
It sounds like you're only receiving messages, have you tried sending them? You will certainly experience a lot of rejection but that's the only way to take control of the matches you're getting.
I'm afraid that at 37 years old you will have to be more open minded in who you consider for a relationship... Strictly looking for someone close to your age isn't casting a very wide net in what is already a very shallow dating pool. I assume the last time you were dating was around 12 years ago, when you were 20-25 years old.
Things are different now, and you have to set your expectations accordingly. One thing that is important to realize is that the golden age in dating for women is in their early and mid twenties. After hitting 30 the game starts to skew in favor of men: This means men start getting more options, and women start having less.
Don't get too picky and turn down a good guy because there's a real risk you can end up with no one.
This. I think you're still dating as though you were 25, when you were a lot hotter a commodity than you are now, and there were far more desirable men. I know it's not PC to say so, but women become less desirable as their looks and fertility decline, while men become more desirable as (and if!) their earning potentials increase.
There is also the particular donut hole of 35-40, where men may well be avoiding you because they think you might be wanting to rush into children while you still can. You do need to change your behavior to reflect a new reality - good luck!
I don't really think I was clear. Your philosophy about men and the "attractiveness" of women over 35 isn't advice, and is gross. So cut it the fuck out.
But in reality all the advice that is to be given on this has been given.
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This is partially why late 30s dating is a minefield. Outside that range people in general are a lot more willing to take their time, either because they feel like they have all the time in the world, or because they don't really expect that the relationship will lead to childrearing.
-Antje Jackelén, Archbishop of the Church of Sweden
Anecdotally, Austin has some fancy speed dating services that are mostly aimed at business professionals. You may want to look and see if there's something like that in your area, because I've read that they can be much more welcoming to people looking for something more substantial than a hook up. Look for something that's not a "singles night" at a bar or a singles meet-up group, but a curated service/event. It may still not work out, but it maybe more relevant to your interests.
I'm on dating services for casual reasons, and I still need to reject 98% of the messages I get, and have about the same failure rate of first dates. Finding people who are right for you is hard work, and takes time and luck. I recommend the D&D dating thread as well, it helps keep you grounded on how imperfect the whole process can be for everybody.
But in reality all the advice that is to be given on this has been given.