Older Women Who Never Got Married Are Revealing What It’s Like To Be Single Later In Life

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“Most of us are raised to believe that as we age, there are milestones in life that everyone needs to reach — getting married, buying a house, having kids, traveling the world in retirement, etc. Without these, life has no meaning. What a load of crock. I’m glad I can think for myself and didn’t succumb to the pressure to meet societal norms and expectations. In my 20s, this was a tense point with my parents. But as the years passed, they saw that my life was pretty fantastic without a husband and children, so they no longer pressured me into finding someone to settle down with. I have never been big on marriage and having kids. I see those milestones as something severely disadvantageous for women.”

“As a single woman, I only need to look after myself. All the money I earn is for me to use whichever way I please. As a married woman, I would have to look after the kids, work, and carry the burden of most of the household chores. How can anyone think this is a good deal? It made zero sense to me then; it still makes zero sense to me now.

My life is as I dictate it to be. I’m not beholden to anyone for anything. I travel two to three times a year and have a sizeable nest egg for my retirement. I have time for my creative pursuits outside work and nurturing my nieces’ creative interests. I doubt many people can say they are as involved in their nieces’ and nephews’ lives as I am.

All I hear my married friends talk about are problems with their husbands, problems that their kids are facing, problems with finances, how tired they are, etc. All these problems are only experienced by people who are married with children. 

Why would anyone think being single is a bad thing? I’m so much happier on my own, without all those problems weighing me down. Don’t be enslaved by society’s narrative. History has shown that society doesn’t have women’s best interests at heart. Figure out what you want from your life, and have the courage to pursue and own it. Anything else is just ludicrous.”

—Anonymous, 45, Australia