This project, funded by the BSF foundation, aims at researching how today’s singles view their singlehood: how they manage social pressure toward marriage, how they perceive themselves as non-partnered individuals, and how they develop positive self-concepts. More specifically, it is argued that singlehood can be thought about as three possible types: first, as a counter-normative (stigmatized) identity, second as a “soft identity” based on choice, and finally as an unchangeable “hard identity,” whether or not it has biological roots.

Participants will be Americans and Israelis of different ages, ethnicities, races, and sexual orientations. The proposed study will build on questionnaires, and individual and group interviews with 1,360 self-identified single men and women.

Theoretically, instead of viewing the identity of singles as a ‘deficit identity,’ meaning someone who is somehow lacking, this project treats singlehood as its own social identity with a full pattern of behaviors and attitudes. Distinguishing between types of singles has important implications for research and policy in differentiating their behaviors, thoughts, and life trajectories. It is argued that researchers cannot understand much about singles without accounting for the type of singles they research, just as they cannot lump together people of different ethnicities. In turn, it is hoped that the findings from the present project leads to promotion of policy measures that would help singles advance and be accepted in a society that is still mostly based on families. 

Our research team, composed of Anne Moyer, Brittany Dennett, Keren Eisen, and Talya Menashe, and led by Elyakim Kislev and Mahzad Hojjat, is dedicated to filling this critical gap. This interdisciplinary project leverages the expertise of the team members and is funded by the BSF foundation.