Bachelors and Spinsters

The terms bachelor and spinster refer to the civic status of never being married, though they have more commonly been used to describe those remaining unmarried beyond the conventional marriage age. Representations of bachelors and spinsters are indicative of the important status of marriage as a political, economic, and social institution in most cultures throughout history. Declining marriage rates across industrialized countries might suggest the waning importance of marriage; nevertheless, research indicates that marital status continues to be an important category of “difference” shaping individuals' lives.

The English word bachelor, found since the 14th century, comes from the Old French term for a young knight in training. The term spinster, literally “one who spins,” relates to the expected task of the unmarried women of Anglo-Saxon households, that of spinning yarn. The word came to signify unmarried women in legal documents from the 17th century. In 2004, the use of these terms on marriage certificates was rescinded in the United Kingdom as part of legislation introducing civil partnership.

Stereotypes attached to bachelorhood and spinster-hood vary in relation to particular historical and cultural contexts. The many negative synonyms used historically for spinsters, such as “odd,” “redundant,” and “old maid,” are indicative of the different significance marriage has held for women and men. “Eligible bachelor” typically denotes an attractive man worthy of choice; men who remain unmarried, however, risk being represented as either unwilling or incapable of taking on the responsibilities of a family. Historically, the spinster was depicted as a pitiable victim of circumstance, on the shelf due to a shortage of men following war or having to care for parents. The modern spinster is more often depicted as pursuing a career at the expense of marriage and motherhood. Both, however, are represented as ultimately unfulfilled. Nevertheless, there is some indication the term is being reclaimed, exemplified by the phrase “leather spinster.”

The proportion of the population that never marries has varied according to time and place and in particular epochs could be a significant minority. In contrast to popular images of spinsterhood as a negative state, historical research identifies the positive roles played by never-married women and their invaluable contributions to wider social change. For example, one third of women in early modern England did not marry; typically living in the households of employers or other family members, their contributions were critical to the maintenance of supposedly self-sufficient nuclear families. In parts of the United States and Europe during the 19th century, remaining never married was a respectable alternative to marriage for women who devoted their lives to the service of others, albeit often within a narrow range of acceptable occupations and behavior. A significant number of never-married women were also active in philanthropic and social reform movements, as well as being the backbone of the first wave of feminism.

Periods of higher rates of spinsterhood have been variously ascribed to demographic factors, such as a relative shortage of men, for example, as a result of the Crusades in the late Middle Ages, or of emigration, [Page 52]as in 19th-century Britain. Other explanations focus on socioeconomic factors; higher rates of bachelorhood and spinsterhood among African Americans, for example, have been related to persistent racism, alongside increased opportunities for women, impacting on the relative status of black men and women. Declining marriage rates across industrialized nations have been attributed in part to increasing educational and employment opportunities, with more women now having access to the means to live independently. Other explanations analyze these changes in terms of consequent shifts in gender relations. Feminist explanations have interpreted a rise in spinsterhood as a manifestation of female autonomy and relate this to wider societal changes, giving rise to an expansion of female identities beyond marriage and motherhood. Here, remaining unmarried is understood as a positive, chosen status, rather than the outcome of circumstance.

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