Is a relationship holding you back?

Fewer people in Australia are getting married and more are getting divorced. And women in particular seem to be finding the positives in experiencing life's adventures solo.

A study released earlier this year in the Journal of Women's Health which involved 80,000 women showed overall they became healthier when divorcing or separating from their husbands.

Signs of improved health included a decrease in BMI, waist size and diastolic blood pressure, as well as better eating and greater physical activity.

Other research also shows women are happier than men being single, such as a survey of 3,500 Australians in 2014 that found 76 per cent of women reported being satisfied with single life as opposed to 67 per cent of men.

Just last month an Italian woman "married herself" in front of 70 loved ones, saying her happiness did not depend on finding a man.

"Each of us must first all love ourselves," she was quoted as saying.

'I was a shell of my former self'

At 22, Emma Dignon from Adelaide said she had already learnt life was not all about coupling up.

Emma Dignon says there is more to life than romantic relationships. ( Supplied: Emma Dignon )

In her previous relationship, she dropped everything that made her happy and made life all about her boyfriend.

"I lost all self-direction and motivation, and when the relationship was over I had to shake myself to look at what I had become — a shell of my former vibrant self," she said.

Emma, who describes herself as feminist, said it was a big learning curve that changed her perspective on needing a man.

"You don't need to have a marriage or children to be happy," she said.

"There are so many other things in life you can do to find happiness.

"It's a bit of a social construct [that] you are expected to finish school, find a job, get married and have kids. That one path doesn't guarantee a happy life."

Emma's attitude is no surprise to dating coach Karina Pamamull, who said women were increasingly saving love for later.

"If you look at someone in their 20s and 30s, they're kind of focusing on fun and their friendships, so they aren't giving up, they're just not ready for love," she said.

Emma said she wasn't swearing off relationships forever — just approaching them with more caution.

"As a single woman I can do whatever I want, when I want. My life is constructed the way I want it to be," she said.

"But I'm not anti-relationship, just anti being treated anything less than I deserve."

'I love the freedom of single life'

Natasha Dwyer, 39, has been single for the past three years and said the new-found freedom had been liberating.

Natasha Dwyer from Sydney says she never feels lonely. ( Supplied: Natasha Dwyer )

"I've been in and out of relationships since I was a teenager — it's ridiculous," the Sydney designer said.

"I believe we are conditioned that part of life, aside from being born and death, is you just get married or partner up with somebody."

After a string of long-term relationships, Natasha began to ask herself, why?

"That's what your parents did, and that's what everyone else does," she said.

"But I love the freedom of being single and I love being responsible for my own life and my own happiness."

Natasha said she felt fulfilled by her business and the only time she missed having a man was when things needed doing around the house.

"I never feel lonely … but I do need someone to come look at my broken washing machine," she laughed.

Is choice key to being happy alone?

Fiona Barlow from the University of Queensland's School of Psychology said although historically there had been a "single tax" on women's happiness, there was mounting evidence to support the marked upsides of being unattached.

Dr Barlow said this was especially true for women who were single by choice.

"There is a lot of evidence that single women can be extremely happy, especially when it's not forced upon them," she said.

She said the reason women coped being alone better than men was their ability to network.

"Single women maintain really strong friendship groups throughout the course of a lifespan so they have lots of people to rely on," she said.

"Men run the risk of becoming a little more isolated than women do, hence why a happy marriage can be a particularly protective move for men to meet their social needs."

But Ms Pamamull said people aren't designed to do life alone.

"Sometimes women stop believing there is the right person out there for them. They have been on so many dates with the wrong people, they just give up on the hunt," she said.

"Then there are women who have come out of long-term relationships like a marriage and are finding the dating scene a challenge — they're trying to find their way through Tinder and seeing all this dishonesty."

Finally, she sees people who have been scarred by a past relationship and aren't willing to put their heart on the line again.

"They might have been abused or emotionally tormented … that needs a lot of deep exploration and sometimes they need to work through that with someone more experienced, like a psychologist, before coming to me," she said.

But she said having another half to share experiences with was an essential part of life.

"There's just that someone there that's in your corner as your support and best friend to share the journey with, which is really critical," Ms Pamamull said.