2. Chapter 8
Living Single

3. Topics to Cover Unique challenges facing singlehood
The normative life cycle model
The diverse lives of single people
Macrosystem forces against singlehood
The psychological and physical health of single people
Single through commitment to God
Howe, Marriages & Families in the 21st Century 2e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.

4. Unique challenges facing singles
Discuss singlism and how it affects single people’s lives.
Unique challenges facing singles
Howe, Marriages & Families in the 21st Century 2e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.

5. Overview Of Singlehood
Unique Challenges Facing Singles
Overview Of Singlehood
Average person spends half of their life single or dating
45% of the adult U.S. population is single or unmarried
Many singles report no interest in becoming coupled
Howe, Marriages & Families in the 21st Century 2e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.

6. Challenges Facing Singles
Unique Challenges Facing Singles
Challenges Facing Singles
Ignored in public policy and research
Marriage and partnership the standard by which others are judged
Singles can feel like pariahs or disappointments
Many people do not allow singles to adopt
Ostracism and discrimination can lead to stress and loneliness
Gender differences
Singleness is socially constructed
Singlism
Beliefs stemming from Standard North American Family (SNAF) ideologies
Howe, Marriages & Families in the 21st Century 2e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.

7. Coping With Singlism Social support from friends and coworkers
Unique Challenges Facing Singles
Coping With Singlism
Social support from friends and coworkers
Some may form “surrogate partnerships”
Ways of coping
Resistant thinking
Managed interactions
Embracing singlehood
Singles pride movement
Howe, Marriages & Families in the 21st Century 2e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.

8. The normative life cycle model
Explain how normative early adulthood developmental processes can affect adjustment in single people.
The normative life cycle model
Howe, Marriages & Families in the 21st Century 2e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.

9. The Normative Life Cycle Model
All people form romantic relationships, “settle down,” and have children
Identity versus role confusion
Intimacy versus isolation
Marcia’s identity development theory
Crisis
Commitment
Identity achievement
Emerging adulthood
Fast starters
Parents without careers
Educated partners
Slow starters
Working singles
Educated singles
Howe, Marriages & Families in the 21st Century 2e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.

10. The diverse lives of single people
Discuss the different types of singlehood and some of the key reasons for remaining single.
The diverse lives of single people
Howe, Marriages & Families in the 21st Century 2e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.

11. Factors Affecting Singlehood
The diverse lives of single people
Factors Affecting Singlehood
Stein’s typology
Singlehood determined by choice and time
Types
Voluntary stable single
Voluntary temporary single
Involuntary stable single
Involuntary temporary single
Shostak’s ambivalent, wishful, resolved, and regretful singles
Howe, Marriages & Families in the 21st Century 2e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.

12. Factors Affecting Singlehood
The diverse lives of single people
Factors Affecting Singlehood
Non-normative singles
Single after 35
Challenging SNAF ideologies
Transition between “not yet married” and “single by choice”
Living apart together (LAT)
Diverse reasons for singlehood
Howe, Marriages & Families in the 21st Century 2e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.

13. Macrosystem forces against singlehood
Explain how larger cultural values and practices can impact a single person’s life.
Macrosystem forces against singlehood
Howe, Marriages & Families in the 21st Century 2e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.

14. Macrosystem Forces Against Singlehood
Challenges for singles at all levels of the bioecological model
Examples from Mormon culture
Marriage is expected and required by God
Examples from Africa
Singlehood a risk factor for HIV and AIDS
Women’s rights in African nations
Examples from the United States
Legal discrimination
Influences of poverty, financial penalties of marriage
The fight for singles’ rights
Howe, Marriages & Families in the 21st Century 2e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.

15. The psychological and physical health of singles
Discuss what research shows about the health and well-being of single people.
The psychological and physical health of singles
Howe, Marriages & Families in the 21st Century 2e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.

16. Physiological and Physical Health
The psychological and physical health of singles
Physiological and Physical Health
Many apparent benefits to being partnered or married
Conveys well-being, intimacy, and social support
Gender differences
Social selection
Singlehood, marriage, and changing times
Single seniors
Singles strain
Varies between types of single people, gender, and ethnicity
Protective factors
Social support, strong sense of identity, outgoing personality, and good coping skills
Howe, Marriages & Families in the 21st Century 2e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.

17. Single through commitment to god
Explain how faith-based single lifestyles can be both rewarding and challenging.
Single through commitment to god
Howe, Marriages & Families in the 21st Century 2e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.

18. Faith-Based Single Lifestyles
Single through commitment to god
Faith-Based Single Lifestyles
God and attachment
Priests, monks, and nuns
Subsistence living
Surplus children sent away to monastic life or priesthood
Contemporary faith-based lifestyles
More join of own accord
Influences of gender roles, patriarchy, and role strain
Environmental stressors
Example: Thai Buddhist maechii
Community perceptions and oppression
Howe, Marriages & Families in the 21st Century 2e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.

19. Chapter Summary
Discuss singlism and how it affects single people’s lives.
Explain how normative early adulthood developmental processes can affect adjustment in single people.
Discuss the different types of singlehood and some of the key reasons for remaining single.
Explain how larger cultural values and practices can impact a single people’s life.
Discuss what research shows about the health and well-being of single people.
Explain how faith-based single lifestyles can be both rewarding and challenging.
Howe, Marriages & Families in the 21st Century 2e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.

20. Open-access student resources
Mobile-friendly quizzes
Mobile-friendly eFlashcards
Learning objective summaries
Video and multimedia resources
SAGE journal articles
Checklist action plan
edge.sagepub.com/howem&f2e
Howe, Marriages & Families in the 21st Century 2e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.