Single women are happier than single men, says new research
Say goodbye to sullen spinster stereotypes: single women are having all the fun, according to new research – or at least, more than single men.
A recent study, published in Social Psychological and Personality Science, found that single women reported greater satisfaction when it came to their romantic relationship and wellbeing status, challenging narratives of discontent and lack of fulfilment.
The study
Researchers looked at data from 10 studies carried out from 2020-2023, which involved 5,941 participants who were single. An equal number of men and women took part, who were an average age of 31.7 years and fell within an age range of 18-75.
They filled out surveys looking at their satisfaction with their:
current romantic-relationship status;
overall life satisfaction;
sexual satisfaction;
desire for a romantic partner
The results
Overall, single women reported higher satisfaction with their relationship status than single men, suggesting this group were happier not being romantically attached than their male counterparts.
Women also said they experienced greater life satisfaction, echoing previous research showing single women experience greater wellbeing than men. Conversely, single men expressed a stronger desire for a romantic partner than single women, suggesting greater reliance on this type of relationship for wellbeing.
Single women also reported being more sexually fulfilled than single men, contrasting with the more accepted understanding that men often report higher satisfaction in this department.
'The finding that surprised me was that single women reported greater sexual satisfaction than single men,' said study author Elaine Hoan, a PhD student at the University of Toronto and member of the MacDonald Social Psychology Research Lab. 'Certain theories have argued that women often receive the shorter end of the stick when it comes to sex, as their sexual needs are often deprioritised in bed, but here we actually find that women who are single are enjoying better sex lives.'
What does this mean for us?
According to the study, if you're a single woman, you probably derive happiness from a broad spectrum of nonromantic sources, such as friendships, family bonds and other relationships. Women may view singlehood as a rewarding life stage, using it as an opportunity to progress in areas like their careers, fitness and nutrition, or travel.
'There exist many different gendered stereotypes about singlehood, such as the lonely spinster or "cat lady" to describe single women, and the ‘eligible bachelor’ stereotype to describe single men,' Hoan said to PsyPost.
'These stereotypes suggest that single women are having a harder time in singlehood, but it was unclear based on the existing research whether these stereotypes actually held up.
'Overall, we found that single women were happier than single men. I hope to understand exactly why we might be seeing these differences in well-being across men and women to create an "ingredient list" of how to build a better single life for everyone.'
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