Singles studies

This Singles Studies website was created to advance the work of scholars who are integrating the study of singles into their research and teaching. It is also offered as a resource to anyone interested in learning more about scholarship on singles. Many categories of single people are represented here, including divorced and widowed singles as well as people who have always been single; singles of all sexual orientations; singles who live alone or with others; singles who are and are not parents; and singles of different races, ethnicities, and social classes. Currently, most references are to singles in the United States, but additional contributions are welcome.

The most extensive section is the Bibliography. It includes scholarly references on dozens of topics, including, for example, health, happiness, and solitude; stigma, ideology, and identity; intimacy, love, sexuality, and celibacy; social networks and patterns of interaction; and caregiving and issues of individualism and community. Each section begins with a brief discussion of the relevant issues. Links to other bibliographies with other emphases (e.g., historical references) are also provided.

Although most of the work on this site is scholarly, other resources are also included. For example, under Teaching Resources are lists of films, novels, self-help, and humor books that can be used to illustrate and analyze the ways in which singles are depicted in literature and popular culture. Scholarly critiques of the portrayal of singles can be found in the Bibliography, in the section "Singles in fiction, film, and popular culture."

In the section on Demographic Information is an explanation of some of the complexities of Census Bureau data, as well as suggestions about how to find basic data such as the number of single people and the number of one-person households. Scholarly writings on demographic trends can be found in the section on "Demographics" in the Bibliography.

The section on Links to Other Resources directs visitors to other scholarly and advocacy groups focusing on singles, the websites of individual scholars studying singles, and sources of funding for singles research.

The Singles Studies website grew out of discussions among three scholars - Bella DePaulo, Rachel Moran, and Kay Trimberger. The three have written an opinion piece for the Chronicle of Higher Education encouraging scholars to integrate the study of singles into their research and teaching.

All of the lists included here are incomplete, and further contributions and suggestions are most welcome. Send them to Bella DePaulo at the e-mail address: depaulo [AT] psych.ucsb.edu