(Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

In news that will surprise very few people, research suggests that women are tired of men’s bullsh*t.

We’re paraphrasing. What research actually suggests is that women are happy being single and aren’t that bothered about getting coupled up – because relationships require loads of work from them, not their male partners.

Consumer analysts Mintel carried out a survey that found that 61% of single women are happy being single, compared to 49% of single men.

The data also shows that 75% of single women have not actively looked for a relationship in the last year – suggesting they’re really not making any effort to stop being single – versus 65% of single men.




Professor Emily Grundy tells the Telegraph that she reckons this is down to the emotional labour women face when they get into relationships with men.

‘There’s evidence that women spend longer on domestic tasks than men and I think they also do more emotional work – so they still do more housework and cooking and things as well as more emotional labour,’ she explains.

(Picture: Daniella Birtley)

It starts out small but can end up being incredibly draining – from having to get yourself all fancy for date night to constantly ironing your other half’s shirts because they ‘don’t know how’.

There’s another factor in play – the growing acceptability of being a single woman.

While single women used to get called desperate spinsters (we still do, sometimes), there’s been a shift towards viewing women who choose to be single as independent and strong.

Getting married is no longer the ultimate end goal for women – having fulfilling careers, finding happiness, and anything else women fancy is – and so it’s really not a big deal to not be coupled up.

Professor Grundy also suggests that woman are simply happier being single than men are, because women tend to be better at socialising, making connections with friends, and looking after their mental health.

(Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

‘Women tend to be better at having alternative social networks and other confidantes whereas men tend to rely quite heavily on their wives for that and have fewer other social ties,’ she says.

‘Certainly there’s a common finding from a lot of studies that women who don’t have a partner tend to do more social activities and more friends compared to women with partners whereas with men it’s the reverse – men without a partner tend to do much less of that.

‘So it may be that women have a wider range of alternatives.’

Essentially, men are more keen to find partners so they have someone they can confide in and rely on. Women know they don’t need a man for that – they have friends who they trust deeply, and who don’t expect a bunch of emotional labour in return.

We’re learning that we can be entirely content being single, the pressure to be coupled up is lessening, and that’s a wonderful thing. No longer shall ‘single’ be a sad, pitiable label, but a point of pride. Hooray.



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