Women stay single because men don’t do their bit
WOMEN are happier being single than men, because being in a relationship is harder work for women. Research by data analyst Mintel found that 61pc of single women are happy being single, versus 49pc of single men.
Why are women so unhappy? What are men doing ‘wrong’?
It’s partly the housework. “There’s evidence that women spend longer on domestic tasks than men … so they still do more housework and cooking and things, as well as more emotional labour,” says Professor Emily Grundy, of the University of Essex.
The survey also found that 75pc of single women have not actively looked for a relationship in the last year, compared to 65pc of single men.
Marriage and partnerships have always been found to be better for men than women. Research has shown that married men are richer, happier and healthier than single men.
The ‘ball and chain’ reference clearly no longer applies if your wife is having this kind of positive effect on your life.
Along with the bigger pay cheque, married men report better sex lives, yes, with their actual wives. Who knew?
Married men are also healthier. In fact, many are living up to a decade longer than their single counterparts. The companionship they get from their wives, and the social lives their wives organise, keep them active physically and emotionally.
So the ‘nagging, her indoors’ is actually making everything about her husband’s life better.
But what are marriages and partnerships doing for women, and why are they shying away from commitment?
A study carried out by the ‘Journal of Women’s Health’ showed that women became healthier when they divorced their husbands.
Their BMI decreased, as did their waist size, and they were more physically active (outside the bedroom).
Women are simply better at being single. They are better at networking and maintaining really strong friendships and bonds throughout their lives, so they have people they can rely on and friends to do things with.
Women are better at staying in touch with, and closer to, extended family too.
Women are better at talking and sharing problems with friends, whereas men tend to do that with their wives or partners.
Women are choosing independence over marriage because increasing numbers want the freedom and independence that being a singleton provides.
Modern women who choose to be in a relationship are finding that the traditional male/female roles have not changed all that much. Women still spend three times as long on domestic chores, such as cooking, cleaning and washing, as their husbands or partners.
Some female breadwinners end up doing all of the housework, as almost one-in-five men admitted to doing nothing at all around the home.
The average time spent doing chores for women was 17 hours a week, compared to just under six hours for men.
The scary thing is that these extra hours of work don’t even include childcare, which is also traditionally far more likely to fall on women.
It’s all very well for men to say they have good intentions and should help more, but it’s no wonder more women are getting fed up and deciding to live alone.
The number of college-educated women now outweighs the number of college-educated men.
However, male egos are not deflating at the same rate that women’s education is increasing.
While women are getting smarter and climbing the corporate ladder, it seems that men aren’t quite ready to properly share the workload at home.
Until they do, the situation is only going to get worse.
People are getting married later now. The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office show the average age for an Irish man to tie
The stigma of ‘being single’ is on the way out, and society is finally realising that many single women aren’t in relationships because they’re happy being independent, doing what they want
the knot is now 37.5 years of age, while it’s 33.8 for Irish women.
Women are focusing more on their careers, with many choosing to work after marriage. They are really struggling with having to juggle housework and childcare on top of work.
But even those who do decide to pack in their jobs and stay at home have difficulty adjusting to their new life.
The absence of colleagues, and the loss of an independent income, can make women, who are used to being masters of their own lives, feel very isolated.
Modern women today have more choices. The stigma of ‘being single’ is on the way out, and society is finally realising that many single women aren’t in relationships because they’re actually happy being independent, doing whatever they want with their time, and they don’t actually need anyone else.
CLEARLY there is no blueprint for a prefect life or relationship. What matters is not what society thinks you should be doing, but that you live the way you want to and find happiness in whatever form that takes.
For those men who want to have that richer, happier and healthier life that marriage provides, slap on a pair of Marigolds and get stuck in.