In matters of fairness for people who are not married, there are big things and small things and everything in between. If you care about social justice, the big stuff will be high on your list. But how should you approach the small stuff?
How Unmarried People Are Ignored Even by Those Who Should Be Paying Attention
June 13, 2018 by
The night before the California primaries earlier this month, I received a robocall urging me to support one of the candidates because she is a “fighter for children and families.” I emailed the candidate, telling her that I am a 64-year-old lifelong single woman with no kids, and it sounded like she did not even […]
Please Don’t Make Us Marry to Get Legal Protections, Say Different-Sex Couples in the UK
May 19, 2018 by
Before same-sex marriage was legalized in the UK, same-sex couples gained legal recognition for their relationships under the Civil Partnership Act. Now that these couples can be legally married, they can still opt for a civil partnership instead. But here’s the rub: Different-sex couples can’t. All they can do is either marry or carry on […]
Fairness for Single People: New Initiative for Calling Out Unfair and Fair Practices
April 6, 2018 by
Unmarried Equality members have probably noticed lots of ways in which single people are not treated fairly by businesses and other groups and organizations. Let’s do more than just rolling our eyes or venting among ourselves. Let’s call them out.
Less Marriage, More Equality?
March 19, 2018 by
“The decline in marriage – people spending a smaller portion of their lives married, on average – is part of a larger global transition toward gender equality.” –Philip N. Cohen, Enduring Bonds
Great Labor Market? Not for Single People
February 2, 2018 by
“A modern economy should work for all people, including those who want to live independently of spouses and partners.” –Center for American Progress
6 Married Therapists Spent 18 Months Confronting Their Own Biases Against Single Women
January 20, 2018 by
Recently, a mental health professional sent me an email full of degrading and disproved claims about single people. When I objected, he insisted that there was nothing wrong with any of his statements. It so alarmed me that a person with the job of helping other people, including single people, could have such demeaning and […]
Israeli Scholar Calls for the Politicization of Singlehood
December 17, 2017 by
To say that someone is politicizing something is typically a rebuke. The person who is accused is supposed to deny any political intent, or retreat in shame.
How Kindness and Customs Contribute to the Wealth Advantage of People Who Marry: The Example of Weddings
November 5, 2017 by
Over the course of a lifetime, single people spend tens of thousands of dollars on the weddings of other people. Their married siblings receive about $20,000 toward their wedding expenses from their parents and parents-in-law. These financial transfers grow out of kindness and customs, but they contribute to wealth inequality between people who marry and […]
The Injustices of Unmarried Life Have Been Named, and the Terms Are Sticking
October 18, 2017 by
When I first started studying single life two decades ago, there were no terms for the injustices faced by people who are not married. In fact, one of the most daunting challenges was trying to persuade others that people who are single are targets of stereotyping, stigmatizing, marginalization, and discrimination – or that any such […]
