The Observer
Sunday, November 5, 2000

The Singles Issue

Welcome to the Singles Century.

By 2010, almost half the population of Great Britain will be unmarried and, according to a recent survey, half the people still getting married are thinking about getting divorced as they sidle down the aisle.

The lead article in this issue of the Observer says that the rise of the single person is the greatest social phenomenon of our time. Britain already has the highest proportion of single-parent households in Europe (one in four).   Bachelors under 30 are the fastest-growing social group. Everything, from the family to the high street, the tourist industry to the television, has been altered by the new  demographic.

In this week's Sunday magazine, the London Guardian declared that it was celebrating the single life, adding: "For the first time, being single is a proactive lifestyle choice, like the car you drive, the food you eat, or the books you read. People are no longer willing to settle for settling down. The single stigma has faded away (the more there are, the less likely they are to be pitied). Friends are the new family."

The article reminds readers that it was not always this way. Not so long ago, the single person's home was an L-shaped room ('L' for lonely, presumably). A weekend break in a hotel meant a narrow bed and a single supplement. Dinner was boil-in-the-bag while watching Blind Date. Somehow, being unmarried meant you were either a toxic bachelor or tragically broken-hearted.

As the tide of single statistics and soundbites grows ever greater (the number of over-sixties getting divorced has increased by more than 10 per cent in a generation; marriage rates plummet as women's financial independence rises), there's a sense that being alone is neither second best nor a stopgap between relationships. Even the late-90s stereotypes already seem out of date. Single woman doesn't ring 1471 (à la Bridget Jones) as soon as she gets in through the door. She isn't hung up on her first love (à la Ally McBeal). And single man doesn't go through his little black book the minute he's been dumped (à la High Fidelity).

The article observes that there has been a significant shift in attitude, a feeling that singletons may be alone, but they certainly aren't lonely. Again and again, the people in this issue use the word 'freedom' to describe their lives. They've got the financial control, the network of friends, and the confidence to be independent.

So, the article continues, "Welcome to Single Britain: the hopes and the fears, the bedrooms and the bank accounts, up close and personal. This week, even our horoscopes are destined for the single reader (guess who's about to fall in love with a dark, handsome stranger... ). As for couples, the attached among you are welcome, too. You never know, you just might learn something."