Q: I’ve never been married (I’m 32) and it embarrasses me (and my parents, of course). Why is being single still a stigma? –Worried
A: Dear Worried,
It’s not! Don’t believe it! Our culture loves us to marry (for lots of reasons that benefit society) and so yes, there is still pressure. But there are now an unprecedented 90 million singles in America–and for the first time in our history, more unmarried households than married! What’s more, the average age of first marriages has risen considerably and is now, for women, in the late twenties. Just for fun, I took a quick look on your behalf at the wedding pages of the Sunday New York Times and observed that, over a period of the three weeks, most of the brides were AT LEAST your age–and many were in their 40s and 50s. The only question I have about your “stigma” fear is whether YOU are happily unmarried. If you are, then it truly doesn’t matter what the culture, or your parents, think. You don’t state your gender: but if you’re a woman and desire children, and desire them in the context of a marriage, then you do have to get a move on, but you still have a good five years or so (even die-hards will give you three years) in which to find a mate.