single

singles sometimes find themselves outside the cultural loop in a society that considers marriage the natural state for healthy adults. People are expected to grow up, get married and stay married--or risk the wrath of politicians who brandish spouses and children like banners of morality (Barbara Yost in The Arizona Republic). With half of all marriages ending in divorce and Americans increasingly delaying marriage, singles constitute a growing segment of the population (some 45% of the adult population in the United States). Despite this, our language often reflects a Noah's ark view of society, where singles are uncounted, overlooked, ignored, or excluded. Question the need for a person's marital status to be mentioned. For events, welcome employees' or friends' "guests," not "spouses and families." (People in committed relationships are not considered to be "single" even though they are not married.) The new term "single positive" reflects a growing awareness of the validity and respect claimed by singles.