Life-long singlehood

Intersections of the past and the present

Bibliographic Data

ID11202245
AuthorsVirpi Timonen (0000-0001-7061-3943, Trinity College Dublin, corresponding author), Martha Doyle (Trinity College Dublin)
Year2014
Volume34
Issue10
Pages1749-1770
Publication date2014-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAgeing and Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0144-686X • E-ISSN: 1469-1779
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0144686x13000500
OpenAlexW2136686646
LanguageEN
Citations received28
References cited36

This paper examines life-long singlehood and its ramifications in old age among women and men in Ireland. During the life-time of the 26 research participants, Ireland shifted from the Western European marriage pattern, characterised by high rates of singlehood, late marriage and high fertility, to declining prevalence of singlehood, higher marriage rates and lower fertility. In-depth interviews were analysed with the help of narrative analysis and grounded theory methods. We identified two main pathways into singlehood that had a long-term impact on the participants' lives. The women and men who had chosen singlehood associated this status with independence, self-fulfilment and autonomy throughout their lifecourse, including in old age. In contrast, older adults who had been constrained in their choice of marital status due to poverty, care work, family roles and cultural norms, expressed regret and dissatisfaction with their single status. In the latter group, the ramifications of the inability to actualise the roles of a spouse, parent and grandparent were particularly apposite in later life when many felt the absence of close ties and expressed loneliness. For some of the older adults who had been constrained in their choice of marital status in earlier life, the possibility of entering into a romantic relationship seemed more feasible in later life. How older adults interpret their pathway into the single status in earlier life impacts on relationship formation and life satisfaction in older age

Developmental psychology · Grandchild · Grandparent · Grounded theory · Life course approach · Loneliness · Qualitative research · Regret · Sociology · Spouse · Health disparities and outcomes · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving · Medicine · Migration, Aging, and Tourism Studies · Psychology · Social Psychology · Gerontology

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