Single Women Are Happier Than Single Men, Suggesting Guys Have More To Gain From Romantic Partnerships
On average, single women are happier compared to single men, suggesting that men have more to gain in heteronormative romantic partnerships than women.
For a new study, a team of researchers looked at four well-being outcomes of almost 6,000 adults, which included how satisfied people are with their lives, how satisfied they are with their current relationship status, how physically fulfilled they are, and how much they want to be in a relationship.
“Ours is the first comprehensive study of how gender differences are tied to well-being in singlehood,” said Elaine Hoan, the lead author of the study and a Ph.D. candidate in the department of psychology at the University of Toronto.
“From here, we can begin to understand why exactly single women are doing better than single men and how everyone can balance these elements to build their best lives.”
The study focused on people who identified as men or women due to limitations in sample size with non-binary individuals.
Overall, the researchers discovered that women fared better on their own compared to men. They were happier with their single status and the quality of their lives, and they had less desire for a partner.
The results add to existing research that shows men are more afraid of singlehood than women, and they struggle to manage the pressures of traditional norms of masculinity.
The team also considered age and ethnicity in the context of gender. They found that older single men are happier than younger single men, which aligns with findings that show how people tend to be happier with long-term singlehood after the age of 40. Additionally, single Black women have more desire for a partner than single white women.
The study does not provide direct evidence for why women have a better experience with singlehood, but there are many potential reasons behind this phenomenon.
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“For example, we know from existing research that in heteronormative relationship structures, women typically take on more than their fair share of domestic and emotional labor,” Hoan said.
“As well, their pleasure tends to be deprioritized and potentially reduced as a result of the unfair divisions of labor.”
Women may also be more satisfied with their single lives because they often have bigger social networks to lean on for support.
Furthermore, they have more financial freedom than they did in the past, which means that income is not as important of a factor in a partnership as it used to be.
Next, the researchers will examine the connection between marriage and well-being around the world to try to determine how much romantic relationships contribute to life fulfillment.
The details of the full study were published in the academic journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.
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