Gone are the days where a woman’s romantic status defined her, or being single made her feel insecure. For many, this represents independence and the ability to focus on life goals without distraction. And according to a new report from consumer analyst Mintel, 61 percent of British women are happy about being single, in comparison to 49 percent of men in the same position.
The poll also revealed that 75 percent of single women, but only 65 percent of single men, haven’t been searching for a relationship in the past year.
The difference was most noticeable in those aged 45-65 – 32 percent of women were happy being single, whilst only 19 percent of men felt the same.
The contrast might be due to women having to work harder when in relationships. Dr Emily Grundy, from the University of Essex, UK, explained that women in relationships have to put in more effort and labor than men, so being in a relationship amounts to quite a lot of work.
"There's evidence that women spend longer on domestic tasks than men and I think they also do more emotional work – so they still do more housework and cooking and things as well as more emotional labour," Grundy told The Telegraph.
She also expressed that men tend to rely on their partners, whilst women are more likely to have close friends and social circles.
"Certainly, there's a common finding from a lot of studies that women who don't have a partner tend to do more social activities and [have] more friends,” Grundy added.
What’s more, Professor Bella DePaulo, a social scientist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, once told the Evening Standard about her experiments, dubbed “single studies”. She investigates how singledom affects people, and how others perceive singletons.
“I found there are such huge benefits to staying single,” DePaulo shared.
“Women, especially, are more likely to enjoy solitude than men are. Single women find being alone is a wonderful time for restoration, creativity, and personal growth. And there are so many more opportunities to create the life you want, such as traveling, following your passions and doing meaningful work.”
