Singlism

A social psychologist examines the widespread cultural bias against unmarried adults, debunks commonly held myths about singlehood, and challenges the financial, social, economic, and other discrimination that single adults confront.

People who are single are changing the face of America. Did you know that: * More than 40 percent of the nation's adults---over 87 million people---are divorced, widowed, or have always been single. * There are more households comprised of single people living alone than of married parents and their children. * Americans now spend more of their adult years single than married. Many of today's single people have engaging jobs, homes that they own, and a network of friends. This is not the 1950s---singles can have sex without marrying, and they can raise smart, successful, and happy children. It should be a great time to be single. Yet too often single people are still asked to defend their single status by an onslaught of judgmental peers and fretful relatives. Prominent people in politics, the popular press, and the intelligentsia have all taken turns peddling myths about marriage and singlehood. Marry, they promise, and you will live a long, happy, and healthy life, and you will never be lonely again. Drawing from decades of scientific research and stacks of stories from the front lines of singlehood, Bella DePaulo debunks the myths of singledom---and shows that just about everything you've heard about the benefits of getting married and the perils of staying single are grossly exaggerated or just plain wrong. Although singles are singled out for unfair treatment by the workplace, the marketplace, and the federal tax structure, they are not simply victims of this singlism. Single people really are living happily ever after. Filled with bracing bursts of truth and dazzling dashes of humor, Singled Out is a spirited and provocative read for the single, the married, and everyone in between. You will never think about singlehood or marriage the same way again. Singled Out debunks the Ten Myths of Singlehood, including: Myth #1: The Wonder of Couples: Marrieds know best. Myth #3: The Dark Aura of Singlehood: You are miserable and lonely and your life is tragic. Myth #5: Attention, Single Women: Your work won't love you back and your eggs will dry up. Also, you don't get any and you're promiscuous. Myth #6: Attention, Single Men: You are horny, slovenly, and irresponsible, and you are the scary criminals. Or you are sexy, fastidious, frivolous, and gay. Myth #7: Attention, Single Parents: Your kids are doomed. Myth #9: Poor Soul: You will grow old alone and you will die in a room by yourself where no one will find you for weeks. Myth #10: Family Values: Let's give all of the perks, benefits, gifts, and cash to couples and call it family values. "With elegant analysis, wonderfully detailed examples, and clear and witty prose, DePaulo lays out the many, often subtle denigrations and discriminations faced by single adults in the U.S. She addresses, too, the resilience of single women and men in the face of such singlism. A must-read for all single adults, their friends and families, as well as social scientists and policy advocates." ---E. Kay Trimberger, author of The New Single Woman

This book examines, for perhaps the first time, singlehood at the intersections of race, media, language, culture, literature, space, health, and life satisfaction. It adopts an interdisciplinary approach, borrowing from sociology, literary studies, medical humanities, race studies, linguistics, demographic studies, and critical geography to understand singlehood in the world today. This collection of essays aims to establish the discipline of Singles Studies, finding new ways of examining it from various disciplinary and cultural perspectives. It begins with laying the field and then moves on to critically look at how race has shaped the way we understand singlehood in the West and how class, age, gender, privilege, and the media play a role in shaping singlehood. It argues for a need for increased interdisciplinarity within the field, for example, analyzing singlehood from the perspective of medical humanities. The volume also explores the role workplace, living arrangements, financial status, and gender play in single people’s life satisfaction. With an interdisciplinary and transnational approach, this interdisciplinary volume seeks to establish Singles Studies as a truly global discipline. This pathbreaking volume would be of interest to students and researchers of sociology, literature, linguistics, media studies, and psychology.

Single Women in Popular Culture demonstrates how single women continue to be figures of profound cultural anxiety. Examining a wide range of popular media forms, this is a timely, insightful and politically engaged book, exploring the ways in which postfeminism limits the representation of single women in popular culture.

Marriages and Families in the 21st Century puts contemporary relationships and family structures in context for today’s students. Using a bioecological framework, the book reveals how families are shaped by multiple influences, from biological to cultural, that interact with one another. Chapters cover topics from parenting to gender issues within an interdisciplinary context, weaving in stories, visuals, and examples of diverse families to dispel longstanding myths. The book creates a personalized learning experience with frequent self-assessments and strengths exercises, while ensuring that students come to understand the research and build scientific analysis and critical thinking skills along the way. Robust digital tools and resources including SAGE edge and an interactive eBook with SAGE Premium Video help readers develop a multi-layered understanding of "what makes families tick" while challenging them to re-evaluate their own assumptions and experiences.

Essential coverage of everything you need to know about The new iPad The popularity of the iPad is seemingly unstoppable and if you've decided to get in the iPad game, this handy guide is must-have reading. This easy-to-understand resource shares tips, tricks, and advice, to help you get the most out of your ultraportable tablet device. You'll learn how to maximize features of The new iPad such as the beautiful Retina display, multitouch screen, 5MP camera, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi +4G capability, eReader functionality, and much more. Shows you how to surf the web, watch movies and TV, listen to music, read books, play games, create presentations, edit documents, manage contacts, organize photos, update spreadsheets, and more Covers how to use and troubleshoot the latest iOS Features Genius icons to show you the smartest way to do things Helps save you time and avoid hassles as you get up to speed The new iPad Portable Genius presents you with accessible, useful information so that you can start confidently using your new iPad today!

Modern prejudice refers to the subtle negative attitudes that are directed toward stigmatised groups such as African-Americans and gay men and lesbian women. Individuals categorised as high in modern prejudice deny the existence of discrimination against stigmatised groups; believe that demands made by these groups are unfair; assert that social institutions accord disproportionate attention to such groups; and reject their efforts to change the status quo. Stated simply, the ethos of an individual high in modern prejudice is: "Discrimination is a thing of the past because groups now have all the rights they need." social scientists have devoted considerable attention to studying modern prejudice; however, no book has provided comprehensive coverage of this topic-until now. It also offers students and academics, as well as the interested layperson, a thorough review of modern prejudice; a construct that is at the centre of some of the most innovative studies currently conducted by psychologists.