Singlehood

Singlehood: An Increasingly Common Status

Over the past 35 years, the number of people who are legally single has increased markedly. In 1970, people who were single—whether divorced, widowed, or always single—accounted for only 28.3 percent of the U.S. adult population (18 and older). As of 2006, singles comprised 44.1 percent of the adult population (including 4 percent of the legally single population who cohabit with opposite-sex partners). One of the reasons that there are so many more singles is that the age at which people first marry (for those who do marry) has been increasing. The median age of first marriages in 1970 was 23 for men and 21 for women; by 2005, the ages were 27 and 25, respectively. The divorce rate increased for a number of years and has remained at a high level. Singlehood is also common for older women, who tend to outlive their partners and remarry less frequently than do men. All of these changes add up to a new demographic reality: On average, Americans now spend more of their adult years single than married. The median age of first marriage has also increased in other parts of the world, including most countries in Western and Eastern Europe and parts of Africa and Asia.

The Lives of Singles: Relationships, Happiness, and Health

Although singles are typically defined as lacking a spouse or serious romantic partner, singles do not lack meaningful and fulfilling social relationships. Having positive relationships with others is an important part of any person's life, and singles often have such relationships with their friends, siblings, relatives, and coworkers. Recognizing the importance of these relationships may help to explain a finding that some might find counterintuitive. Although many people assume that marriage increases happiness, reviews of past research reveal that there is actually little difference in the happiness levels of people who are married and those who have always been single. This finding suggests that always singles meet their interpersonal needs through other important relationships in their lives. In fact, people who have always been single tend to have closer relationships and greater contact with their parents, siblings, friends, and neighbors than do their married peers.

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