Universal PicturesAll might be fair in love and war, but apparently women are on a winning streak when it comes to coping with being single.
A new survey conducted by consumer analysts Mintel, shows women actually prefer being single to men, because they do more of the graft in relationships.
Alesha Dixon put it somewhat melodically when she sang ‘The Boy Does Nothing’, but up until now, there’s been little more than anecdotal evidence the songstress sang the truth.
Fox Searchlight PicturesTurns out cooking for one is easier than two and some women prefer the independence of single life.
This data shows 61 per cent of single women are happy with their relationship status compared to 49 per cent of single men, with the trend proving especially strong with women over the age of 45.
The study also showed 75 per cent of single women have not actively looked for a relationship in the past year, compared to 65 per cent of single men.
While 32 per cent of single women aged between 45 and 65 were very happy alone, the same was true of just 19 per cent of men of the same age.
Professor Emily Grundy, of the University of Essex, said:
There’s evidence women spend longer on domestic tasks than men and I think they also do more emotional work – so they still do more housework and cooking and things as well as more emotional labour.
Grundy believes there’s evidence to suggest women tend to work harder in relationships than men do and are more likely to try to resolve problems or arguments the couple is dealing with, as well as carry out more physical work such as chores.
A recent Office of National Statistics report on how men and women spend their time seems to confirm Grundy’s assumptions, concluding ‘when not in leisure, women were more likely to be performing unpaid work’.
PixabayThe 2015 report found men spend an average of four hours and 39 minutes every week on ‘hobbies, computing and games’, while women spend just two hours and 38 minutes on the same activities.
Meanwhile, women were more likely to participate in unpaid work, ‘such as childcare, adult care, volunteering or housework’, leaving less time for hobbies.
Grundy added women are better at socialising while single, backed up by the ONS reports which showed women spend more time socialising than men.
CBS StudiosGrundy told the Telegraph:
Women tend to be better at having alternative social networks and other confidantes whereas men tend to rely quite heavily on their wives for that and have fewer other social ties.
Certainly there’s a common finding from a lot of studies that women who don’t have a partner tend to do more social activities and more friends compared to women with partners whereas with men it’s the reverse – men without a partner tend to do much less of that.
So it may be that women have a wider range of alternatives.
PexelsWhile a lot of this musing is based on gender stereotypes – and there are surely many exceptions to the rule – it just goes to show how important independence can be beyond the safety and confines of a romantic relationship…
Along with the ability to cook a microwave meal for one to perfection.
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.