Person not in a marital, romantic or sexual relationship
In legal definitions for
interpersonal status
, a
single person
refers to a individual who is not in committed relationships, or is not part of a
civil union
.
[1]
In common usage, the term
single
is often used to refer to someone who is not involved in either any type of
sexual relationship
,
romantic relationship
, including long-term
dating
,
engagement
,
marriage
, or someone who is "single by choice".
[2]
Single people may participate in dating and other activities to find a short-term partner or
spouse
.
Reasons people remain single
[
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]
People may remain single for a variety of reasons, including (but not limited to):
Some single people regard and appreciate
solitude
as an opportunity. Some people stay single by choice. In addition to choosing singleness as a preferential option, there are also those who forgo marriage due to religious orders that prescribe its forbearance.
[1]
These religious traditions include:
- The Christian monastic cultures of Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Oriental Orthodoxy
- The specific Buddhist monastic traditions
[9]
Single culture in specific countries
[
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]
United States
[
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]
According to the
United States Bureau of the Census
, the fastest-growing household type since the 1980s has been the single person. Previously both socially uncommon and unaccepted due to perceived roles, public awareness, modern socioeconomic factors and increasingly available popular and lengthier education and careers have made the single lifestyle a viable option for many Americans, especially after the
Vietnam War
.
[10]
According to the United States Bureau of the Census, in 2016 single adults counted for over 45% of the US population. 65% of this group had never been married.
[11]
In 2014,
Pew Research Center
notes that the highest percentage of never married adults between White, Black, Hispanic and Asian Americans were Black Americans. The same study also projected that about 25% of millennials may not get married.
[3]
United Kingdom
[
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]
Similar to the United States, single-person households have been seen to be increasingly popular in the
United Kingdom
. In the 2000s, studies found that more citizens were seen to be valuing their career over personal relationships. The increase in single-person households was also partly attributed to the high
self-esteem
it can offer to some people.
[12]
Japan
[
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]
In
Japan
, it is not uncommon for citizens to choose to remain single. This has been illustrated with many public figures and celebrities. Women typically value friendships over romantic relationships; many continue to have jobs and marry later, or forego marriage completely.
[13]
However, people in Japan who do wish to date have reported that it is difficult to find the time to do so due to being
overworked
.
[14]
South Korea
[
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]
In
South Korea
an unofficial holiday called
Black Day
is observed on 14 April each year by and for single people. Singles who did not receive gifts on
Valentine's Day
or
White Day
meet dressed in black and eat
jajangmyeon
, noodles covered in black bean paste. The dish is one of South Korea's national foods, and is considered a comfort food.
[15]
[16]
[17]
Sweden
[
edit
]
In
Stockholm
, Sweden, sixty per cent of the people live by themselves.
[18]
Terminology
[
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]
Terminology for singleness varies, usually based on gender, language, and country. Generally singles can be categorized by the following terms: never married, separated, divorced, and widowed.
English
[
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]
Terms used to describe single men are seldom used, and carry positive connotations. Single men are often simply referred to as
bachelors
.
The English language has more terms for single, unwed women. These terms typically carry a negative connotation. Single women are sometimes called
bachelorettes
, especially in festive contexts in
American English
. However, the historic term for unwed women is
spinster
. The connotations of the word
spinster
have changed so much over time that it is now considered a derogatory term. The
Oxford English Dictionary
says in its usage notes for the word:
- The development of the word spinster is a good example of the way in which a word acquires strong connotations to the extent that it can no longer be used in a neutral sense. From the 17th century the word was appended to names as the official legal description of an unmarried woman: Elizabeth Harris of London, Spinster. This type of use survives today in some legal and religious contexts. In modern everyday English, however, spinster cannot be used to mean simply ‘unmarried woman’; it is now always a derogatory term, referring or alluding to a stereotype of an older woman who is unmarried, childless, prissy, and repressed.
[19]
Though spinster has a long history of being negative, there are some authors, such as
Katie Bolick
, that are trying to change the word's connotation into something positive.
[20]
Additionally, the phrase
Old Maid
is used to describe an unmarried women.
French
[
edit
]
Catherinette
was a traditional
French
label for women of 25 years who were still unmarried by the Feast of
Saint Catherine
.
Chinese
[
edit
]
The term
sheng nu
is used to describe unmarried women who are in mid to late twenties in China and East Asia.
[21]
Japanese
[
edit
]
In Japan, men that have no interest in getting married are called
s?shoku(-kei) danshi
(草食(系)男子 ) or
Herbivore men
. This term also describes young men who have lost their "manliness".
Relationship status and health
[
edit
]
A person's relationship status can have an effect on their health. People have different perspectives on the ways in which relationship status influences health.
A study in 2000 by the BioMed Central's public health journal covering the anti-depressant use of 3,500 Finnish people found an 80% increased risk of
depression
for those living alone.
[22]
A 2022 finding published in the August issue of Frontiers in Psychiatry using 2,056 studies and data from 123,859 participants found that living alone increased the chances of depression by 42%.
[23]
Paul Dolan, professor in behavorial science at the London School of Economics, explained that "if you're a woman, don't bother [getting married]", as a study from the American Time Use Survey found that single women live longer and happier lives than married women.
[24]
People who support singleness have different opinions on it, pointing out that not all marriages are created equal. Healthy people, with psychological well-being, have happy relationships with their partners. In contrast, unhappy marriages will have the opposite effect, "A bad marriage can make a person feel more isolated than being single"
[25]
according to sociologist professor Eric Klinenber at New York University.
A study of more than 10,000 adults found that married couples were more likely to gain weight during their process of romantic ventures than singles.
[26]
In other words, married couples have a higher risk of weight gain that may be large enough to pose a health risk,
[25]
as reported by Zhenchao Qian, professor of sociology at Ohio State University.
Targeting
[
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]
Dating services
are an especially targeted and advertised service for singles.
[27]
The growth of the dating services and dating events industry has been so drastic that the phrase "dating?industrial complex" (reminiscent of President
Dwight D. Eisenhower
's term "
military industrial complex
") has been coined to capture the amount of money and manpower devoted to dating services for singles.
[28]
[29]
Singles events
have been an area of particular growth in singles-related commerce.
[30]
Many events are aimed at singles of particular affiliations, interest, or religions.
[31]
Some of the most strongly attended such events are the
Christmas Eve
party targeted at young Jewish singles in major cities in North America, particularly the
Matzo Ball
and its big city competitors.
[32]
A variety of other religious organizations' singles events are also very popular. However, dating via religious-sponsored singles events has also been criticized for fostering invasion of daters' privacy and undue expectations.
[33]
Also there is a
Single Supplement
that adds extra fees to those traveling alone.
In some countries, particular laws may directly or indirectly disadvantage single persons. In the
United States
, for example,
Social Security
widow(er) benefits
are only available to those persons who have been previously married, and single people in the United States pay more income taxes than married people. In many countries tour and holiday operators impose a penalty (often as much as 100%) on persons who travel alone.
Older singles are also heavily targeted by marketers, for much the same reasons. They are typically divorcees or widowed, perhaps reconciled to being single for the rest of their lives, and looking to make the most of what remains to them. Their children, if any, will typically be financially independent. They may, or may not, be looking for another relationship. There is a whole industry dedicated to making unsolicited telephone calls to this group in the hope of exploiting the ones who cannot distinguish between the honest and the dishonest.
Depiction in popular culture
[
edit
]
Film and television
Literature
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
Koropeckyj-Cox, Tanya (2009),
"Singlehood"
, in Carr, Deborah (ed.),
Encyclopedia of the Life Course and Human Development
, Later Life, vol. 3, Macmillan Reference USA, pp. 370?375
, retrieved
23 April
2019
- ^
a
b
Kislev, Elyakim (2019).
Happy Singlehood: The Rising Acceptance and Celebration of Solo Living
. University of California Press.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
"Record Share of Americans Have Never Married | Pew Research Center"
. 24 September 2014
. Retrieved
16 April
2019
.
- ^
Whitley, Rob (28 September 2017).
"Dating with Mental Illness: What Is It Like?"
.
Psychology Today
. Retrieved
25 June
2019
.
- ^
DNews (12 January 2010).
"China's Gender Gap Leaves Millions of Single Men"
.
- ^
AFP/Discovery News, 12 January, 2010Alex Williams,
"The New Math on Campus"
,
New York Times
, 5 February 2010
- ^
"5 Reasons People Choose to Stay Single"
.
Psychology Today
. Retrieved
23 April
2019
.
- ^
Weckman, George (2005),
"Monasticism: An Overview"
, in Jones, Lindsay (ed.),
Encyclopedia of Religion
, vol. 9 (2nd. ed.), Macmillan Reference USA, pp. 6121?6126
, retrieved
23 April
2019
- ^
Scott, Jacqueline L.; Treas, Judith; Richards, Martin (2004).
The Blackwell companion to the sociology of families
. Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 377?378.
ISBN
978-0-631-22158-6
.
- ^
"Unmarried and Single Americans Week: Sept. 17-23, 2017"
.
www.census.gov
. Retrieved
16 April
2019
.
- ^
"Single living is the new way to find happiness"
.
Times Online
. 3 August 2005. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
- ^
Schefft, J (2007).
Better Single Than Sorry
. Harper Collins. p.
12
.
- ^
Semuels, Alana (20 July 2017).
"The Mystery of Why Japanese People Are Having So Few Babies"
.
The Atlantic
. Retrieved
27 June
2019
.
- ^
Smith, Annabelle (13 February 2013).
"Korea's Black Day: When Sad, Single People Get Together And Eat Black Food"
.
Smithsonian
. Retrieved
1 April
2020
.
- ^
Robins-Early, Nick.
"Alone On Valentine's Day? South Korea Has A Holiday Just For You"
.
HuffPost
. Retrieved
1 April
2020
.
- ^
Herskovitz, Jon (14 April 2008).
"South Korea's Black Day for love"
.
Reuters
. Seoul
. Retrieved
1 April
2020
.
- ^
"Flying Solo - Doc Zone"
.
cbc.ca
. Retrieved
27 March
2018
.
- ^
"spinster - definition of spinster in English - Oxford Dictionaries"
. Archived from
the original
on 20 July 2012.
- ^
Bolick, Kate (2015).
Spinster : making a life of one's own
(First ed.). New York.
ISBN
9780385347136
.
OCLC
902726565
.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link
)
- ^
Lubowiecki-Vikuk, AP (2011).
Determinants of recreational and tourism activity among single men and women from the Wielkopolska Province
. AWF Poznan. pp. 12?17.
- ^
"People living alone 'are more depressed'
"
.
BBC News
. 23 March 2012
. Retrieved
4 December
2023
.
- ^
Emamzadeh, Arash (27 November 2022).
"How Living Alone Increases the Risk of Depression"
.
Psychology Today
. Retrieved
4 December
2023
.
- ^
"Women are happier without children or a spouse, says happiness expert"
.
the Guardian
. 25 May 2019.
- ^
a
b
" Health Benefits Of Being Single"
.
Huffpost Healthy Living
. 12 February 2013.
- ^
" Marriage and men's health"
Archived
2014-09-12 at the
Wayback Machine
.
Harvard Health Publications
. 10 July 2011.
- ^
Jarice Hanson. (2007)
24/7: how cell phones and the Internet change the way we live, work, and play
, p. 81
- ^
Jane Ganahl.
"The downside of cyber-romance"
,
San Francisco Chronicle
, 28 March 2004
- ^
Roy S. Gutterman.
"There's a Science (and Terminology) to the Process of Getting Rejected"
Archived
2008-06-21 at the
Wayback Machine
,
The (Philadelphia) Jewish Exponent
, 3 April 2008
- ^
Larry Glanz and Robert H. Phillips. (2003)
Guy Gets Girl, Girl Gets Guy: Where to Find Romance and What to Say When You Find It
, p. 59
- ^
Monica B. Morris. (2005)
Falling in love again: the mature woman's guide to finding romantic fulfillment
, p. 80
- ^
Jessica Gresko,
Dec. 24 Becomes Party Night for Jewish Singles
[
dead link
]
, Associated Press (Washington Post), 24 December 2006
- ^
William July, II. (2003)
Confessions of an ex-bachelor
, p. 113
- ^
Single life : unmarried adults in social context
. Stein, Peter J., 1937-. New York: St. Martin's Press. 1981.
ISBN
0312725965
.
OCLC
7289383
.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: others (
link
)
- ^
Cobb, Michael L. (2 July 2012).
Single : arguments for the uncoupled
. New York.
ISBN
9780814772560
.
OCLC
782878106
.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link
)
- ^
Klinenberg, Eric. (2013).
Going solo : the extraordinary rise and surprising appeal of living alone
. New York: Penguin Books.
ISBN
9780143122777
.
OCLC
825111785
.
- ^
Traister, Rebecca (March 2016).
All the single ladies : unmarried women and the rise of an independent nation
(First Simon & Schuster hardcover ed.). New York.
ISBN
9781476716565
.
OCLC
933728312
.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link
)
Sources
[
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]