Are Single Women Happier?

Life ebbs and flows, full of hardships and reasons to smile. One complexity of life is relationships and how those relationships impact who we become. In a strange twist, some single women have found a happier or more fulfilling life than when they were in a relationship.

Comfort

For centuries, women have been pressured to wear makeup, nice clothes and underwear, eliminate body hair, and so on. But single women don’t have to obsess about keeping these things in order because they’re not trying to impress anyone. For example, they can live happily in their unflattering but comfortable nightwear.

No compromise

Although spouses who love one another willingly make compromises for each other, there’s no denying, that there’s something really special about being able to do, eat, or go anywhere without inhibitions. Single women have the luxury of making their life choices without compromise. Or the concern of how their decisions may impact another.

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Single women have More space

Another upside for single women is that they don’t have to share their closet, bed, or decor space with another person. Meaning they can decorate however they see fit. They can fill up the closets, pantry, and fridge with all their favorite things. And they can take all the blankets, hogging all the space in bed.

Your finances are Yours

While it’s generally a good idea to have a shared account for common expenses like utilities and food, it’s also important to consult with your partner before making large purchases in a relationship. However, single women have the freedom and flexibility to buy what they want without consulting with or considering another person.

Single Women still Feel Complete

According to Paul Dolan, a happiness expert and Professor at the London School of Economics, single women are happy, even without children or a partner. Dolan explains recent data reflects, that “long-established, traditional symbols of success did not necessarily correlate with happiness levels.”

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Single Women Face Less Emotions

According to Professor Emily Grundy, a professor at the University of Essex, “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 labor).” Women in relationships have their own social circles with strong supportive women role models and camaraderie. Whereas men rarely have a place outside of their partner to express their feelings and worries. As such, single women have a place to lay life’s stressors. But don’t have another person relying solely on them for emotional support. Dr. Grundy explains: “Women tend to be better at having alternative social networks and other confidantes whereas men tend to rely quite heavily
on their wives for that and have fewer other social ties.“

Single Women Have Similar Overall Health.

Dolan explained that there is little evidence to support the idea of women in relationships being healthier than single women. In contrast, the opposite might be true.
“We do have some good longitudinal data following the same people over time. But I am going to do a massive disservice to that science and just say: if you’re a man, you should probably get married; if you’re a woman, don’t bother.” Dolan explains, noting men “calmed down” in marriage. “You take less risks, you earn more money at work, and you live a little longer. She, on the other hand, has to put up with that and dies sooner than if she never married. The healthiest and happiest population subgroup are women who never married or had children,” he said.

Happiness is an Individualized Experience

A 2017 report from the U.K. showed that 61% of single women were happy with their circumstances. However, the study also noted that for women who’d been actively seeking a partner and were between the ages of 45-65, the percentage decreased by about half. As such, there may be a correlation between happiness and living life the way you want, rather than a correlation between happiness and being in a relationship.

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