Singles and their perception by society
In today's society, we increasingly meet people who have decided to live a free and independent lifestyle, which we call the English term singles - single. It should be mentioned that the phenomenon of singles is not new, because it has been appearing in our society for several decades. The phenomenon of singles has recently become a widespread and current topic, which also increases the interest in researching the given issue. The investigation of the singles phenomenon does not focus on individual experiences with this lifestyle, but takes place at the level of a social phenomenon. The main issue is the still occurring prejudices and stereotypes against single people who are considered outcasts of society. Although currently single people are evaluated in a more positive way, their choice to remain single and never marry is seen in a negative sense. In this context, the aim of our work is to find out how single people are perceived by society and whether there are relevant differences in this perception between single people and people living in a married union.
The life of the current family has been undergoing significant changes for a long time, which are related to the very way of life of the family and its historical development. We derive all changes in the family from the turnover of the so-called a traditional normal family, the starting point of which is the form of family life, where the parents of the spouses and the spouses themselves live with their children in one joint household. This is the so-called multigenerational family structure (Ondrejkovič & Majerčíková, 2006). At the beginning of the 20th century, multi-generational families fall into the background and nuclear - two-generation families, formed only by a married couple and children, begin to be asserted. This family is characterized as non-local, that is, spouses no longer share a common household with their parents. Intergenerational dependence is significantly decreasing, but relationships and contacts with parents, siblings or other relatives are not completely interrupted (Sedláková, 2009). Already at the end of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s, significant changes were taking place in the institution of the family, and the occurrence of the mentioned family models became only an exception (Ondrejkovič & Majerčíková, 2006). A significant decline, as well as the importance of traditional normal families, led to the fact that marriage loses its sacred character and rather becomes just a civil contract. There is talk of the emergence of the postmodern family, which is characterized by the independence of women and their possibility to realize themselves in the work sphere, the emergence of value discontinuity between several generations and couple instability (Sedláková, 2009). As a result of women's economic self-sufficiency and increasing employment, marriage loses some of its legitimacy and becomes just a tool through which we satisfy our primary and secondary needs. Currently, the younger generation prefers the so-called a trial marriage. The couple lives together in the same household, manages the household together, and perceives their temporary cohabitation as a prelude to marriage. A specific form of family and married life is the so-called living apart together, when partners do not live in the same household, but live separately for a long time.
Social changes in relation to the family and the transformation of partner relationships led in the early 1980s in Western society to an increase in the so-called singles. "This emerging phenomenon is considered the most significant manifestation of individualization in the area of family and partner life (Sedláková, 2009, p.62)." Drotován (2008) defines the phenomenon of singles based on marital status. Its definition is based on the literal translation of the term singles, which refers to persons with single family status. The group defined in this way also includes single mothers or fathers, but also persons who live in a declared cohabitation. From different points of view, these are different groups of people, therefore we do not consider the given definition based on family status to be completely sufficient. Another definition of the singles phenomenon is based on the primary motivation of people to live independently. Jandourka (2009) refers to single individuals as persons who do not want to get married, because single life suits them in principle. The primary motivation is the opportunity to pursue a career, personal hobbies and the opportunity to maintain many sexual relationships. Despite the fact that the phenomenon of singles has come to the fore in today's society, there is no universally valid definition explaining who belongs to the group of singles. An essential, common feature of the singles phenomenon in most valid definitions is life without a permanent partner and their lack of interest in getting married. Another important feature is their independence and different value orientation. At the top of the value scale is the need for self-realization, building a career, the opportunity to pursue hobbies and a minimum level of responsibility towards a partner (Sedláková, 2009).
Motives of life for singles
Being single has become an increasingly free choice in recent decades, and marriage is not considered a universal life goal. If we perceive the phenomenon of singles as a free choice of the individual, we must also deal with the motivation that led the individual to decide to be single. According to Adamczyk (2016), single people mainly talk about the four most important reasons why they decided not to get married: by their own voluntary choice, external circumstances do not allow them to do so, they feel personal flaws, or they have a need to express individualization through their independence from social tradition. Czernecka (2016) conducted research that was based on finding out the reasons why people voluntarily choose the life of singles. Through free interviews with the participants, she discovered seven relevant motives why people remain single:
- uneven participation in building a relationship - respondents invested their time and emotions in building a relationship, while their partners focused only on their own needs,
- infidelity and abandonment – one group of participants stated that they do not want to be hurt and disappointed again, while the other group is afraid that they would cheat on their partner,
- high expectations from potential partners – their high expectations cause them to reject those who do not meet their requirements at first glance,
- not ready to build a home - individuals are not looking for a stable partner because they feel emotionally and morally immature to start a family,
- rest after living together as a couple - single people are used to being alone, they consider it a natural state and do not want to change it or try to create a stable relationship,
- unfulfilled love - they feel that they are unlucky in love and therefore reject love due to failure and at the same time want to avoid negative emotions,
- difficulties in the relationship with the opposite sex – participants reported problems with maintaining a conversation with the opposite sex.
Gender differences
Single adults were considered outcasts of society until the 1970s, but this assessment was differential for men and women. The single man was an energetic old bachelor who was accepted by society despite changing partners and enjoying his independence. On the contrary, a single woman was seen as an old maid who struggled with loneliness and the desire to find a partner all her life. Single women were often scorned by society more than single men and were perceived as poor careerists who are unable to give up their work, travel, or interests for the sake of their family (Haňková, 2010). Nowadays, single people are evaluated in a more positive way, but their choice to remain single and never get married is perceived in a negative way. If an individual freely decides not to get married, society perceives it as a failure in trying to get married, or get married. Even in this case, gender differences between single men and single women appear. Women are put under more pressure by society to conform to the ideology of marriage and family, because caring for the family is necessary to fully fulfill a woman's role. In order for a woman to fulfill her femininity and successfully manage the transition through the stages of life, she must experience romance and marriage. On the other hand, independence and autonomy are considered incompatible elements with her feminine existence (Budgeon, 2015). Gender differences can also be found in the very choice to live single. The life of a single woman is not presented as a free choice, but as a consequence of the inability to find a partner and therefore they chose the life of singles instead. On the other hand, the single man's life is seen as a free choice to remain single and independent, because he has made this choice voluntarily, and his possible inability to maintain a permanent relationship plays no role in his choice. The phenomenon of singles explicitly belongs to strongly gendered phenomena. Single women and single men have different criteria and are perceived differently. Also, singles have different motives for their lives and at the same time benefit from this situation in different ways (Radimská & Tomášek, 2003).
Research objectives, hypotheses
The primary goal of the work is to find out whether single people are perceived by society in a different way compared to married people. The secondary goal of the work is to find out if there is a difference in the perception of the society of single people in terms of age and gender.
Hypothesis 1: We assume that there is a significant difference in the perception of society between single people and married people. Hypothesis 2: We assume that there is a significant difference in the perception of society between younger single people and older single people. Hypothesis 3: We assume that there is a significant difference in the perception of society between single women and single men.
Research file and research methods
Our research group consists of 110 respondents, which we obtained through a deliberate selection. The target group consists of women and men between the ages of 20 and 40 who are permanently employed or are students. Another condition is that all participants have Slovak origin and at the same time reside in Slovakia.
We collected data through a questionnaire that Hertel (2007) and Slonim (2015) used in their work on stereotypes. The first information requested from the respondents was focused on their gender, age, family status, nationality, highest level of education and whether they are currently employed or students. The questionnaire consists of eight descriptive stories of people, created through a combination of basic information such as gender, age (20 or 40 years old) and current family status (single or married). The questionnaire also contains additional information to the stories, among which we included the names of descriptive persons, which we chose based on a survey of the most frequently occurring first names in Slovakia, and we chose the four largest cities in Slovakia as the residence of the person being described. The stories of people also contain information about the leisure activities, occupations and favorite colors of the people described, which occur with a constant frequency. Each descriptive story contains 32 characteristic personality traits, to which respondents express their degree of agreement or disagreement using a 5-point Likert scale. Each story contained a different order of individual characteristic personality traits, due to our effort to prevent automated behavior. The questionnaire was administered only in electronic form. On the opening page, respondents were presented with information about voluntariness, anonymity and the use of results only for the purposes of research work. The data were processed in the SPSS program.
Results
The first step in our analysis was to reduce the number of variables using exploratory factor analysis. The factor analysis results in three factors that explain a total of 61.07% of the variability. Factor 1 explains 30.06% of the variability, has an eigenvalue of 9.62, and includes attributes focused on warmth and caring (18 attributes). Factor 2 explained 16.44% of the variability, had an eigenvalue of 5.26, and included attributes related to loneliness and unhappiness (7 attributes). Factor 3 explains 14.58% of the variability and has an eigenvalue of 4.67. This factor contained attributes focused on sophistication and sociability (7 attributes).
Hypothesis 1: We assume that there is a significant difference in the perception of society between single people and married people.
The results show that married people are considered more caring and affectionate (AM = 68.77) compared to single people (AM = 47.36). Value t(677.17) = 34.19; p < 0.05 (p = .000), so we can accept the alternative hypothesis. On the contrary, single people are perceived as more lonely and unhappy (AM = 29.42) compared to married people (AM = 15.98). Value t(826.67) = -33.89; p < 0.05 (p = .000), so we accept the alternative hypothesis. Singles are considered more sophisticated and sociable (AM = 26.14) compared to married people (AM = 19.52). Value t(774.31) = -16.68; p < 0.05 (p = .000), so we accept the alternative hypothesis. The results indicate that there is a difference in the perception of society between single people and married people. Our first hypothesis was confirmed.
Tab. no. 1: Comparison between single people and married people
Hypothesis 2: We assume that there is a significant difference in the perception of society between younger single people and older single people.
The results show that younger singles are perceived as more caring and warm (AM = 16.68) compared to older singles (AM = 15.28). Value t(438) = 2.23; p < 0.05 (p = .026), so we accept the alternative hypothesis. Younger single people are considered to be more lonely and unhappy (AM = 26.66) compared to older single people (AM = 25.62). Value t(403.83) = 2.34; p < 0.05 (p= .020), so we accept the alternative hypothesis. The results show that there is no statistically significant difference in the factor of sophistication and sociability between younger single people (AM = 48.22) and older single people (AM = 46.51). Value t(438) = 1.56; p > 0.05 (p = .119). The results show differences in the perception of society between younger and older single people in two factors, so our second hypothesis was confirmed.
Tab. no. 2: Comparison between younger and older singles based on three factors
Hypothesis 3: We assume that there is a significant difference in the perception of society between single women and single men.
The results show that the difference between single men and single women in the perception of society exists only in factor 2. Single women are perceived as more lonely and unhappy (AM = 29.92) compared to single men (AM = 28.91). Value t(438) = - 2.09; p < 0.05 (p = 0.037), so we accept the alternative hypothesis. The results show that there is no statistically significant difference in the warmth and caring factor between single men (AM = 46.80) and single women (AM = 47.91). Value t(438) = -1.01; p > 0.05 (p = .314). There is also no statistically significant difference in the factor of sophistication and sociability between single men (AM = 25.85) and single women (AM = 26.43). Value t(438) = -1.31; p > 0.05 (p = .190). The results nevertheless indicate a difference in the perception of society between single women and single men in the factor of loneliness and unhappiness, so our third hypothesis was confirmed.
Tab. no. 3: Comparison between single women and single men based on three factors
Discussion
The aim of our work was to find out whether single people are perceived by society in a different way compared to married people. This primary assumption was the basis of our first hypothesis. Our results show that there are differences in the perception of society between single people and married people. Single people were considered to be lonelier, unhappier, more sophisticated and social, but at the same time less caring and warm compared to married people. Our results correspond with findings from previous research. Slonim (2015) reached two main conclusions in his study. Despite the gradual increase of single individuals in society, single people are perceived more negatively compared to people who live in a married relationship, regardless of their age and gender. Single people are considered to be lonelier, unhappier and less social than people who maintain a partner relationship. Hertel (2007) also reached similar results in his study. His results show that single people are perceived as unhappier, lonelier and less warm and caring compared to married people. However, single individuals were considered more sophisticated and social compared to partnered people. The main reason why single people are considered to be lonelier is the still prevalent belief that they "don't have anyone". If single people didn't have any important people in their lives, then we could consider them lonely. By "having no one" we often mean that they have no husband/wife. But human connection is not just a romantic, intimate relationship that develops between two people. Single people can care for other people and be loved by friends, siblings, parents, for example. We are of the opinion that the prevailing ideology about single people in terms of the definition "they have no one" results from the very name of this phenomenon. Singles are defined by what they lack in life - a life partner. DePaulo (2005) also points to this fact and emphasizes the fact that we do not label people in a marriage union with the term unsingles, that is, they are not defined based on what they do not have - freedom. Defining people based on the absence of what they do not have in their lives can have a potential impact on the emergence of prejudices against the given group.
As part of the second hypothesis, we focused on investigating whether there is a difference in the perception of society between younger and older single people. Our results show that younger single people are considered more caring and warm, but also more unhappy and lonely compared to older single people. To compare the results, we present the research carried out by Hertel (2007). In his study, he concluded that younger singles are perceived as more caring and warm-hearted compared to older singles. At the same time, however, he found that older single people are considered lonelier and more unhappy compared to younger single people. We believe that a possible explanation for why younger single people are perceived as more lonely and unhappy compared to older single people is related to several factors. One of the reasons is the acceptance of your singles lifestyle. Older singles have accepted their status and made peace with it. They pursue their hobbies and maintain relationships with supportive friends. Society does not put pressure on them to settle down and find a partner. On the contrary, society's pressure is shifting to younger people who live without a partner and are expected to get married and start a family. Failure to submit to this societal pressure can lead to a distorted image of younger single people, that they did not choose the single lifestyle voluntarily, but due to external circumstances. This may represent a possible reason why society perceives them as unhappy and lonely. However, younger singles are also subject to another modern phenomenon – emerging adulthood. This phenomenon moves youth deep into adulthood and allows the adoption of roles that are typical of adulthood to be postponed until later. Society sees them as successful people, but they are not satisfied with the lifestyle they have chosen.
In the third hypothesis, we focused on finding out whether there is a difference in the perception of society between single women and single men. Our results show that single women are perceived as more lonely and unhappy compared to single men. We found no differences between single women and single men in the perception of warmth, care, sophistication and sociability. Byrne (2003) conducted research and concluded that stereotypes against single women, who are considered selfish, picky old maids who hate men, are more prevalent in society. In his research, Shachar (2013) found that single women are perceived as unhappy persons who have not acquired social skills and achieve lower life satisfaction compared to single men. We are of the opinion that the differences in the perception of single women and single men result primarily from the prevailing ideology of marriage. Society puts more pressure on women to get married and submit to the ideology of the family. A woman who chooses not to marry is considered a selfish person who has put her career and her interests ahead of her family. To fulfill a woman's role, a woman needs to experience a romantic relationship and start a family. Failure to fulfill the primary roles in a woman's life leads to the opinion in society that single women are unhappy and live an unfulfilled, unsatisfying life.
Conclusion
In our work, we dealt with the explanation of the phenomenon of singles and their perception by society. On a theoretical level, we approached the changes in society in the sphere of family and partner life, which had a significant impact on the increase in the single population. We also focused attention on the possible motives of single individuals, which encourage them to choose to live a single lifestyle. We focused on individual differences in perception and on the variety of criteria that are applied to single women and single men. The main goal of our work was to find out whether single people are perceived by society in a different way compared to married people. Our results show that single people are perceived as lonelier, unhappier, more sophisticated, more sociable, and less warm and caring compared to married people. Our results also indicate that younger single people are considered more caring, warm-hearted, but also lonelier and unhappier compared to older single people. No statistically significant differences were found in sophistication and sociability. In our research, we also focused on the different perception of single women and single men. The results show that single women are perceived as more lonely and unhappy compared to single men. Single women and single men are equally perceived in terms of warmth, care, sophistication and sociability. Our results indicate that single people are perceived differently by society compared to married people and also that there are differences in the perception of single people by society in terms of their age and gender.
Further investigation of the singles phenomenon could also deal with the very essence of the given phenomenon, by examining the specific personality characteristics of the singles group. Most research focuses on the issue of singles from the point of view of a social phenomenon and forgets to examine individual experiences with the singles lifestyle. They would also focus on their needs, prevailing social networks, areas of interest and quality of life, creating a unique picture of a single person. We acknowledge the fact that the results of our research can be influenced by several factors. The main role could have been played by an extensive questionnaire, which could have led to automated behavior, participant exhaustion and subsequent distortion of the results. Our work brings the opportunity to gain a new, specific perspective on the given issue. The work offers an up-to-date view of the prevailing stereotypes towards single people, which persist in our society, despite the significant increase in the number of single individuals in the population. Theoretical as well as empirical processing provides unique knowledge about the phenomenon of singles, which can be the primary starting point for other possible directions of research.
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