This qualitative study explores the experiences of single women in Hong Kong from contextual and developmental perspectives. Thirty single women were interviewed using a feminist approach. The findings of this study indicate that single women face some different but also some similar developmental tasks as do married women. They fulfil developmental tasks of working, establishing friendships and securing accommodation. The women also experience stresses arising from singlehood and from their work. An individual woman's appraisal of the situation was significant in determining whether singlehood or work were or were not stressful. Singlehood, instead of being a problem to a woman, might be regarded as a challenge. Single women in this study reveal that they enjoy their lives outside the confines of marriage. They have social support and their participation in employment has enhanced their social status and independence. The experiences of single women in this study are also closely related to their experiences in the wider social environment: with their family members, friends, colleagues, and church-mates, and in their socio-cultural context. Their perception of the attitude of those in these different parts of the social environment had in one way or another, significantly affected how they felt about themselves as single women and how they saw their role in their own family, their work place and their social network. Most of the women perceive the general social attitude toward singlehood to have changed towards being more liberal in Hong Kong nowadays. Not all the women, however, feel well accepted by their immediate social circle or society. Emphasis in this study was also placed on how the single women cope with being single. Patterns and themes identified are illustrated by narrative data.

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Submitted by Oliveira Santos Dilzaná (dilznana@yahoo.com.br) on 2013-11-08T14:00:44Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese - Márcia Santana Tavares.pdf: 1855869 bytes, checksum: 805efc19fe8d983cbf7959f91570fccd (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ana Portela (anapoli@ufba.br) on 2013-11-12T18:33:02Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese - Márcia Santana Tavares.pdf: 1855869 bytes, checksum: 805efc19fe8d983cbf7959f91570fccd (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-11-12T18:33:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese - Márcia Santana Tavares.pdf: 1855869 bytes, checksum: 805efc19fe8d983cbf7959f91570fccd (MD5) / Este estudo se propõe a refletir sobre a solteirice na sociedade brasileira contemporânea. Mais especificamente, pretende investigar mudanças e permanências nas percepções e práticas sociais da solteirice, procurando analisar como gênero e geração intersectam na produção de diferentes experiências da solteirice. O universo da pesquisa compreende mulheres e homens solteiros que nunca experimentaram relação de conjugalidade, com faixa etária acima dos trinta anos, membros das classes médias de Aracaju e Salvador. A amostra é composta por vinte e seis sujeitos, de ambos os sexos, treze em Aracaju e treze em Salvador que, por adesão espontânea, concordaram em prestar seus depoimentos. O estudo, de natureza qualitativa, levou-me a privilegiar como técnica para a coleta dos dados as histórias de vida, cujos depoimentos pessoais dos sujeitos foram gravados e acompanhados pela organização de um diário de campo contendo descrições e informações sobre as situações das entrevistas. A partir dos resultados dessas entrevistas, pode-se concluir que a solteirice é concebida e vivenciada de forma distinta por mulheres e homens, o que determina estilos e projetos de vida também diferenciados. O fator geração contribui como outro diferenciador, mas apenas dentro desses grupos, sendo o fator gênero o principal divisor de águas. Assim, de modo geral, as mulheres solteiras não fazem apologia do ficar sozinha, mas aquelas que são mais “liberadas” sexualmente, mais independentes e melhor sucedidas na profissão, preferem permanecer sozinhas a abdicarem de sua liberdade, realização pessoal e profissional. Quanto aos homens entrevistados, investem nos estudos, na carreira profissional e adiam o casamento indefinidamente, pois ao contrário das mulheres não são exilados do mercado matrimonial com o avanço da idade e, além disso, preservam a disjunção entre sexo e afetividade, sem que isso afete sua vida sexual. Tudo indica, portanto, que as "novas solteiras" estão fadadas a continuar sozinhas, uma vez que a assimetria sexual dos papéis afetivos ainda rege a coreografia da dança a dois entre os solteiros. This study proposes to reflect upon the condition of “singlehood” in contemporary Brazilian society, focusing, more specifically, on changes and continuities in practices and perceptions about being single, and how gender and generation intersect in producing different experiences of singlehood. In this study, a total of 26 individuals – 13 women and 13 men – over 30 years of age and residing in the cities of Aracaju and Salvador were interviewed. The sample was restricted to women and men of the middle-classes, who have never formed a conjugal partnership and who agreed to speak about their experiences. The study was based on a qualitative methodology, privileging the collection of recorded life-stories along with the use of a field journal as the major data-gathering techniques. On the basis of the results obtained, it may be concluded that the condition of singlehood is perceived and experienced differently by women and men, thus resulting in life styles and plans for life also distinct on the basis of sex. Generation contributes as another important factor of differentiation, but only within each group, gender emerging as the major water divisor. Thus, it may be said that, in general, though single women do not advocate in favor of being alone, those that are more “liberated” sexually, more economically independent and better succeeded professionally prefer to remain single so as not to abdicate of their freedom and personal and professional realization. Concerning the men interviewed, they invest in their studies and in their professional careers, but postpone marriage indefinitely for they are not deprived of their matrimonial perspectives with the advance in the years, on the contrary to the women. Besides, the men maintain the disjunction between sex and affection without any reflection on their sexual life. Therefore, the differences observed along gender appears to indicate that the “new single women” are destined to remain “single”, as gender asymmetry of the affective roles continues to manage the two and two choreography of the contemporary singlehood. The observed differences along gender lines do indicate that the "new single women" are destined to remain "single", as gender asymmetry continues to determine the coreography de dance between the sexes in contemporary singlehood in Brazil.

Master of Science / Department of Family Studies and Human Services - Marriage and Family Therapy / Joyce Baptist / There has been a decline in marriage rates in the U.S., with Black persons showing the lowest numbers in relation to other racial groups. Unlike previous generations where marriage was associated with a sense of familism, today marriage is associated with individual growth and the creation of a fulfilling relationship. To better understand how single Black women manage the tension between individuality and togetherness, a phenomenological study was conducted to explore the lived experience of singlehood of six Black women. Findings support Knudson-Martin‟s (1996) reframed concept of differentiation and previous studies pertaining to family and community values' influence on perspectives about gendered roles in marriage. Gendered power imbalance appears to be a main contributor to ambivalence about marriage although marriage remained to be valued and desired. Findings can prevent helping professionals from imposing our socialized worldview that values intact families, marriage, and gendered power equity on single Black clients. Clinical and research implications are discussed.

In a patriarchal society where women are viewed as a weaker sex and are compelled by ideology and social norms to attach themselves to men through romantic relationships and the institution of marriage, how do never-married women fare? In particular, how do never-married women over the age of 30 navigate a social world where there is constant pressure to marry? This study explores the social experiences of never-married women over 30 residing in Eastern Tennessee. Thirty never-married women completed a structured personal interview and an online survey was completed by 14 never-married women (ages 30-45) currently residing in Eastern Tennessee. The structured interview and survey focused on key variables associated with the interpersonal relationships, identities, social perceptions, and internet-based social networking (MySpace, Facebook, etc.) of never-married women.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Miami University, Dept. of Psychology, 2005. / Title from second page of PDF document. Document formatted into pages; contains [2], v, 177 p. : ill. Includes bibliographical references (p. 94-103).

This thesis fills an important research gap in the sociology of ageing and life course, and the sociology of sexualities and intimacies by exploring the understudied experience of singlehood among older gay men. It is a qualitative study based on semi-structured in-depth life story interviews conducted with 25 self-identified gay men over the age of 50 who live in England and have been single for most of their lives. The primary objective of the study is to investigate how older single gay men interpret and assign meanings to their lives in later life. In considering the role of narratives in bridging structure and agency, the thesis suggests that the older gay men’s narratives of singlehood need to be understood with reference to the master narrative in society that privileges couplehood. The master narrative undoubtedly informed and at times overshadowed the ways in which the older gay men understood their lives. But at the same time this thesis finds that the research participants engaged with the master narrative in a variety of creative ways – they did not only adopt, but also adapted and subverted the dominant story line. These counter-stories do not only reproduce, but have the potential to reinvent, the meanings of relationships in contemporary societies. To achieve this, resources were needed in reframing the master narrative. From a life course perspective the thesis suggests that the older gay men’s earlier life experiences and current social locations influenced the narratives they told. Only some of the older single gay men were able to (re-)claim sexual citizenship while others were denied this. In addition, the older gay men’s story-telling was filled with ambivalence and ambiguities. As a whole, the thesis sees the older gay men’s stories as displaying agency within structure.

The current study deals with the topic of partner relationships with a special focus on the fear of being single. Although it has been introduced still quite recently, it seems it can predict settling for less in relationships in sense of expressing interest in low-quality mates and lower likelihood of initiating the dissolution of a less satisfying relationship. The first part of this paper aims to explore phenomena of partner relationships and singlehood and to conduct a review of the current research on the topic of the fear of being single. The empirical research examines the association between fear of being single and demographic characteristics, personality traits (the Big Five model) and feelings of loneliness using the Fear of Being Single Scale (Spielmann et al. 2013), whose first Czech translation is introduced, the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (Hřebíčková & Urbánek, 2001) and the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Russel, 1993; Kumstátová, 2014). The study participants include 247 Czech adults. Women and involuntary singles reported significantly higher level of the fear of being single than men and voluntary singles respectively. Also the fear of being single proved to be significantly negatively correlated with Openness to Experience, Consciousness and Extraversion and significantly positively...

Most individuals spend more than half their lives as single due to divorce, widowhood, and remaining single (Simpson, 2016). Singlehood, in general, has meant not being in a heterosexual relationship. Historically, lesbian women have been considered single because their relationships were not legally recognized. Single women and lesbian women have had more choices to live outside heterosexual marriage, financially and with social acceptability, in the later portion of the 20th century and in the early 21st century than previously. Single sexual minority women of the baby boom came of age during this time and are beginning to plan for and enter into old age. This study used qualitative methods to study how single sexual minority women of the baby boom cohort defined family and planned for their later years. Women from the baby boom cohort who are currently single and identify as a sexual minority were connected to their family of origin and extended families in their youth, focused on romantic relationships during adulthood, and currently identify their family as biological and chosen family. The women had formal and informal plans for their future as they continue to age. Limitations, future directions, and implications are also discussed. / Ph. D. / Within the United States, most individuals spend more than half their lives as single. Singlehood, in general, has meant not being in a heterosexual relationship. Historically, lesbian women have been considered single because their relationships were not legally recognized. Single and sexual minority women are recently more able financially and with social acceptability, to live outside heterosexual marriage. Single sexual minority women of the baby boom came of age during this time and are beginning to plan for and enter into old age. This study used interviews to research how single sexual minority women of the baby boom cohort defined family and planned for their later years. Women from the baby boom cohort who are currently single and identify as a sexual minority were connected to their immediate family and extended families in their youth, focused on romantic relationships during adulthood, and currently identify their closest circle as biological and chosen family. The women had formal and informal plans for their future as they continue to age with a desire to remain independent for as long as possible. Discussions around sexuality in relation to singlehood also emerged during the interviews.

Denna studie är kvalitativ och har genomförts med hjälp av semistrukturerade intervjuer. Studien ämnar undersöka unga singelkvinnors upplevelser av att vara singel i dagens Sverige. Uppsatsen undersöker orsakerna bakom kvinnornas singelskap, hur singelskapet påverkar singelkvinnornas identitet samt hur tvåsamhetsnormen i samhället påverkar hur de ser på sitt eget singelskap. Studiens teoretiska ramverk utgår från begreppen stigma och individualisering samt teorin om performativitet. Resultaten tyder på att singelkvinnor upplever singelskapet som en frihet, men även som en ensamhet. Analysen visar även på att det finns flera olika orsaker bakom singelskapet, exempelvis att kvinnorna inte hittat den rätta eller har erfarenheter från tidigare destruktiva parrelationer. Vidare pekar studiens resultat på att det finns både positiva och negativa identiteter som skapas av singelskapet. Resultatet tyder också på att tvåsamhetsnormen i samhället påverkar hur kvinnorna ser på sitt eget singelskap, bland annat genom negativa föreställningar om singlar och förväntningar om att kvinnor ska ingå i en parrelation. Detta gör att singelkvinnor upplever att de är avvikande gentemot tvåsamhetsnormen. Det framkommer även i studien att tvåsamhetsnormen är fortsatt stark trots att det svenska samhället präglas av individualism. / This study is qualitative and has been conducted using semi-structured interviews. The study aims to investigate how young single women experience being single in Sweden today. The essay examines the reasons behind singlehood, how singleness affects single women's identity, and how the couplenorm in society affects how women perceive their own singlehood. The theoretical framework consists of the concepts of stigma, individualization, and the theory of performativity. The results indicate that single women experience singlehood as freedom, but also as loneliness. The study also shows that there are several different reasons behind singlehood, for example that the women have not found the right person or because of previous couple relationships that have been destructive. Moreover, the study indicates that there are both positive and negative identities that are created by singlehood. Findings suggest that the couplenorm affects how women perceive their own singleness in generating negative ideas about singlehood and expectations that women should be in a couple relationship. This means that single women feel different from the couplenorm. Accordingly, it appears that the couplenorm is still strong despite the fact that Swedish society is characterized by individualism.