Book
Singlehood
1987
Abstract
One of the fastest growing segments of the population, never-married Americans, is also one of the least well understood. Census data suggest that never-married Americans are more often male then female. Evident in the numbers is the cultural pressure on females to marry at least once, especially before the end of their safest childbearing years. In 1979, as many as 50% of women between the ages of 20 and 24 were never-married as compared to only about 30% 20 years before. The male figure went from 54% to 67%, a much smaller increase. This chapter categorized never-married as 1) ambivalents, 2) wishfuls, 3) resolveds, and 4) regretfuls. Never-marrieds tend to express more concern over employment uncertainty, crime, and urban problems, but they show similar recoveries from depression to marrieds. Never-marrieds appear to rely on 6 major aids, 3 or a more traditional approach--permissive social attitudes, same-sex friendships, and marriage-deriding attitudes--and 3 of a more recent character--assertive social attitudes, dating aids, and prosinglehood options. Same-sex friendships occupy a critical role in explaining the happiness, worldliness, and tenure of the single experience of many never-married adults--for better and for worse. Not surprisingly, some singles deride marriage to help justifytheir own unwed state of affairs. Typical of this relatively new coping option is the assertion that marriage is no longer necessary for its traditional lure or the exclusive right of respectable parenthood. The nation's singles have begun to draw on a wider range of dating aids than ever previously available--computer dating services, specialized singles' clubs, singles' bars, singles' apartment complexes, and singles' magazines. Prosingle options include coed dorms and singles' educational and counseling services. Prejudice against singles has relaxed but needs to relax further, along with public policies and private market controversies.
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Details
- Title
- Singlehood
- Creators
- A. B Shostak
- Publisher
- New York, New York, Plenum Press
- Number of pages
- 355-367.
- Resource Type
- Book
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Culture and Communication [Historical]
- Identifiers
- 991020705491804721