Chapter 7, Being Single, Living Alone, Cohabitating and Other Options Singles: their Increasing Numbers Changing attitudes toward Marriage and single hood. The Variety of Singles Income and Domestic Arrangement of Singles Cohabitation

Increasing Number of Singles Number of singles over age 17 has jumped from 25 million at the turn of the 20th century to 81 million in 2,000. Singles were 28% of the population in 1970 and 40.5% in Three categories of single: never-married, divorced, widowed.

Reasons for Singlehood Singles hold more individualistic than familistic values. Society today views being single as optional rather than deviant. Society is more accepting of cohabitation and marriage is less defined as permanent.

Reasons for Singlehood Getting married is no longer the main way to gain adult status. There is less parental pressure to marry. Women have increased economic independence.

African American Singles Proportion of married African Americans has declined from 64% in 1970 to 41% in Black men have high mortality rates and are more likely to be imprisoned or in the military. Rate of homosexuality of black men exceeds that of black women.

African American Singles More African American men than women have partners of other races. Choices are limited for black women wanting black men as marriage partners. College educated black women have difficulty finding black mates of similar educational background.

Types of Singles Voluntary temporary singles – Searching for a mate has a low priority. Involuntary temporary singles – Would like to and expect to marry. Involuntary stable singles – Divorced, widowed and never-married people who want to marry or remarry.

Types of Singles Voluntary stable singles – Satisfied to have never married. – Divorced or widowed who do not want to remarry. – Cohabitants that do not intend to marry. – Lifestyles preclude marriage (priests and nuns).

Four Cohabitation Types 1. “Linus blanket” - develops from insecurity of one of the partners who prefer a relationship with anyone to being alone. 2. Emancipation - using cohabitation to gain independence from parental values and influence.

Four Cohabitation Types 3. Convenience - involves partners who live together for more practical reasons than intimacy. 4. Testing mode - cohabitation as trial marriage.