The Experience of Singleness for Women Who Delay Marriage

Abstract

The current research sought to narrow a gap in the literature related to the unique experiences of women who wish to ultimately marry, but for any reason have delayed that commitment. This was a replication of Jansen’s (2019) study, The Experience of Singleness for Males Who Delay Marriage. This study qualitatively addressed two research questions. The first emphasis was directed toward discovering what is the lived experience of single women? The second area of research importance sought to identify participant’s internal and external reasons for choosing to wait to get married. Participants consisted of six single, heterosexual, cisgender women (age 28 or older), who were financially independent, free of addiction, without children, not in a committed relationship, and who desired to one day be married. All participants were required to be born in the United States and were living in the Pacific Northwest region at the time of their interview. The current study was conducted utilizing an interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA). This approach is concerned with examining the detailed experience of each unique individual (idiography), establishing an account of the lived experience of single women (phenomenology), and delving into how participants attempt to make sense of their experiences (hermeneutics). Three main themes were identified as being meaningful and mutually exclusive: The Lived Experience of Singlehood, Rationale for Singlehood, and the Conceptualization of Self and Singlehood. The implications of these findings can help clinicians, church communities, and the general community at large understand the nuanced lived experiences of single women and create an environment that is more accepting and inclusive of this population.