User:Littel16/sandbox

In legal definitions for interpersonal status, a single person is someone who is unmarried, not in a relationship and not part of a civil union. In common usage, the term 'single' is often used to refer to someone who is not involved in any type of serious romantic relationship, including long-term dating, engagement, marriage, or someone who is 'single by choice'. Single people may participate in dating and other activities to find a long-term partner or spouse.

Reasons people remain single
People may remain single for a variety of reasons, including:


 * Financial duress
 * Pursuing educational or professional advancement
 * Lack of suitable partners
 * Changes in perceptions of the necessity of marriage
 * Dedication to religions orders that do not allow for marriage
 * In some cases, single people may be uninterested in marriage, domestic partnership, or other types of committed relationships.
 * Traumatic experiences including Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Assault
 * The increasing trend of marring later in life and cohabitation

Some single people regard and appreciate solitude as an opportunity. Some people stay single by choice. In addition to choosing singleness as a preferential option, there are also those who choose not to marry for religious reasons. These religious traditions include:


 * The Christian monastics cultures of Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Coptism
 * The specific Buddhist monastic traditions

United States
According to the United States Bureau of the Census, the fastest-growing household type since the 1980s has been the single person. Previously both socially uncommon and unaccepted due to perceived roles, public awareness, modern socioeconomic factors and increasingly available popular and lengthier education and careers have made the single lifestyle a viable option for many Americans, especially after the Vietnam War.

According the United States Bureau of the Census, in 2016 single adult counted for over 45% of the US population. Sixty-Five Percent of this group had never been married. In 2014, Pew Research Center notes that the highest percentage of never married adults between White, Black, Hispanic and Asian Americans were Black Americans. The same study also projected that about 25% of millennial may not get married.

United Kingdom
Similar to the United States, single-person households have been seen to be increasingly popular in the United Kingdom. In the 2000s, studies found that more citizens were seen to be valuing their career over personal relationships. The increase in single-person households was also partly attributed to the high self-esteem it can offer to some people.

Japan
In Japan, it is not uncommon for citizens to choose to remain single. This has been illustrated with many public figures and celebrities. Women typically value friendships over romantic relationships and many continue to have jobs and marry later or forego marriage completely.

Sweden
In Stockholm, Sweden, sixty per cent of the people live by themselves.

Terminology
Terminology for singleness vary. The variation usually based on gender, language, and country. Generally singles can be categorized by the following terms: never married, separated, divorced, and widowed.

English
Terms used to describe single men typically are seldom used and carry positive connotations. Single men are often called bachelors.

the English language tends to have more terms to describe women that are single. These terms are typically carry a negative connotation. Single women are sometimes called bachelorettes, especially in festive contexts in American English, but the historic term is spinster. The connotations of the word spinster have changed over time so that it is now considered a derogatory term. The Oxford English Dictionary says in its usage notes for the word:


 * The development of the word spinster is a good example of the way in which a word acquires strong connotations to the extent that it can no longer be used in a neutral sense. From the 17th century the word was appended to names as the official legal description of an unmarried woman: Elizabeth Harris of London, Spinster. This type of use survives today in some legal and religious contexts. In modern everyday English, however, spinster cannot be used to mean simply ‘unmarried woman’; it is now always a derogatory term, referring or alluding to a stereotype of an older woman who is unmarried, childless, prissy, and repressed.

Though spinster has a long history of being negative these are some authors, such as Katie Bolick, that are trying to change the word's connotation into something positive. Additionally, the phrase Old Maid is used to describe an unmarried women.

French
Catherinette was a traditional French label for girls of 25 years old who were still unmarried by the Feast of Saint Catherine.

Chinese
The term sheng nu is used to describe unmarried women who are in mid to late twenties in China and East Asia.

Japanese
In Japan, men that have no interest in getting married are called Sōshoku(-kei) danshi (草食(系)男子 ) or Herbivore men. This term also describes as young men who have lost their "manliness".

Targeting
Dating services are an especially targeted and advertised service for singles. The growth of the dating services and dating events industry has been so drastic that the phrase "dating–industrial complex" (reminiscent of President Dwight D. Eisenhower's term "military industrial complex") has been coined to capture the amount of money and manpower devoted to dating services for singles.

Singles events have been an area of particular growth in singles-related commerce. Many events are aimed at singles of particular affiliations, interest, or religions. Some of the most strongly attended such events are the Christmas Eve party targeted at young Jewish singles in major cities in North America, particularly the Matzo Ball and its big city competitors. A variety of other religious organizations' singles events are also very popular. However, dating via religious-sponsored singles events has also been criticized for fostering invasion of daters' privacy and undue expectations.

Also there is a Single Supplement that adds extra fees to those traveling alone.

In some countries, particular laws may directly or indirectly disadvantage single persons. In the United States, for example, Social Security widow(er) benefits are only available to those persons who have been previously married, and single people in the United States pay more income taxes than married people. In many countries tour and holiday operators impose a penalty (often as much as 100%) on persons who travel alone.

Older singles are also a targeted market, for much the same reasons. They are typically divorcees or widowed, perhaps reconciled to being single for the rest of their lives, and looking to make the most of what remains to them. Their children, if any, will typically be financially independent. They may, or may not, be looking for another relationship. They also are heavily targeted by marketers. There is a whole industry dedicated to making unsolicited telephone calls to this group in the hope of exploiting the ones who are unable to distinguish between the honest and the dishonest.

Film and Television Shows about Singleness and Single Adults

 * Sex and the City
 * Golden Girls
 * Living Single
 * Bridget Jones's Diary
 * Girls
 * How to Be Single
 * Single Mom's Club
 * Singles

Literature About Singleness and Single Adults

 * Bridget Jones's Diary
 * Single Life: Unmarried Adults in Social Context
 * Single: Arguments for the Uncoupled
 * Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone
 * All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation