Letters to the Editor

Living single In a new book, sociologist E. Kay Trimberger says the "new single woman" is successful, social, smart -- and loving life on her own. By Rachel Safier [2005-12-14]

• Loving life on her own???

  I'm skeptical of "scientific" studies performed by people who have a preconceived notion they are trying to prove.

  I have little doubt there are more women nowadays who are single, earning a decent wage, and especially for financial reasons are distinctly less desperate to couple than were many single women of the past.

  But are these single women really loving life on their own" ? That may be true of sociologist Trimberger, but I suspect she may be overreaching when she asserts this is common among single women in general, even the good wage earners.

  The modern feminist movement triggered by Betty Friedan has had some very positive effects on society, one of which is to greatly open up career possibilities for women. This has had the side effect of removing old parental role models for adult living, since many of those role models are simply inapplicable today.

  This means that men and women are having to pioneer new modes of living by making it up as we go along -- and that's not easy.

  So finding the "right" partner can be much harder for enlightened single adults than it used to be, since who knows what "right" means anymore? And once someone has lived alone for a decade or two, it's not that easy to suddenly surrender half your independence and share your domicile with an intimate partner.

  -- xylu
  [Read xylu's other letters]
  Permalink Flag Wednesday, December 14, 2005 04:03 AM
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