Various studies in recent years have charted the growing number of young people who are either not in a couple or who are in a childless couple. For instance, a recent study from the Institute for Family Studies reported a sharp rise in the number of people aged between 18 and 35 who haven’t had sex in the past year.
China is often the standard-bearer for this phenomenon, with the country’s famous one-child policy resulting in a large number of single people due to the mismatches in their population. Indeed, the phrase “sheng-nu” translates literally as “leftover women”. It’s a problem that some have argued poses a threat to national security, with research finding that many women are pressured into marriage to avoid the stigma of becoming a “sheng-nu”.
Research from USC shows how the growing volume of single professional women in China is changing the perception of them through the sheer weight of their spending power. This is shifting the image away from one whereby single people must be unhappy to one of leading a happy and fulfilling life. Indeed, Singles Day, which has become the biggest retail event in the world, was born out of an almost anti-Valentines Day desire to celebrate singledom.
Changing the record
While China is undoubtedly the most high-profile example of a country with demographic challenges, data from the Pew Research Center highlights similar issues in the United States, where nearly half are unmarried, with half of that population not really interested in becoming so.
This is despite such a passage through life societally expected. As in China, however, it’s a narrative that is changing, despite a continuing social hierarchy that is still largely based upon one’s relationship status.
It’s a situation that is being monitored by Leeds School of Business’s Peter McGraw via his project The Science of Solos, where he underlines the corrosive nature of this prevailing narrative.
“My research reveals that a hierarchy based on relationship status can be damaging for people whom partnering isn’t the right fit,” he explains. “Life shouldn’t be seen as better because you partner up, it should just be seen as different.”
Improving wellbeing
McGraw believes that the single population is growing not because people are inherently against marriage but rather that improvements in economic opportunities, access to education, and the social safety net, are giving people greater opportunities to deviate from the traditional path.
Indeed, these factors are even having an impact on those who do ultimately choose to marry, as the average age for the first marriage in men is now 30 in the United States, which is the highest in history and marks a continuing upward trend in recent decades.
“What this suggests is people are able to act more on their own desires, wants, needs and goals,” McGraw said. “Some people see the decline of marriage to be associated with the decline of society, but I see the opposite.”
Challenges persist
The increasingly common nature of singledom should not hide the challenges that the lifestyle continues to face, however, not least in terms of access to housing. Many developed countries show a considerable shortage of houses, with America facing an estimated 5.5 million housing units shortage. This in turn makes the price of those that do exist incredibly high, with many countries experiencing a house price boom during the pandemic period.
“Half of the adult U.S. population is single, living on one income, yet buying a house today is really designed for a two-income family,” McGraw says. “Residential zoning still prioritizes single-family homes, which are quite expensive, as opposed to housing geared toward singles––like condos and shared living spaces that lower cost and create a sense of community.”
Despite this, there are reminders of familial expectations throughout society, from the layout of restaurants to the design of cars. Pairing up is a common thread throughout. McGraw believes that businesses that overlook the single population are missing out.
“A lot of businesses are competing over the same types of people because they have the wrong assumptions about what these people need,” McGraw said. “They’re trying to find markets that are underserved but are overlooking the 128 people that make up the single market.”
In the workplace
Such misconceptions also have implications in the workplace. For instance, there is an enduring belief that single people must have no life and can therefore be devoted fully to their job. Working late or traveling on weekends is no problem for single people, while holiday entitlements tend to be given to those with families first.
These images of an insular existence are often far from the truth. Indeed, research shows that single people tend to put more into their social circle than those in a relationship. They are also more involved in their local community, whether that’s volunteering or participating in public events.
Just as businesses should adapt to this growing demographic trend, so too should employers to ensure that fairness is something that is felt by all.
“Serving solos requires different perspectives,” McGraw says. “Solos have more discretion over how and what they spend their money on. They’re more mobile in how they live and work and what they do for fun.”
