The rise of singlehood is reshaping the world

For most of human history, coupling up was not merely a norm; it was a necessity.

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Since 2010, the share of people living alone has risen in 26 out of 30 rich countries. By The Economist's calculation, the world has at least 100 million more single people today than if coupling rates were still as high as in 2017. ST FILE PHOTO

(ST FILE PHOTO)

Before reliable contraception, women could not control their fertility, and most were far too poor to raise children alone. Hence the centuries-old convention that, whereas a tragic play or saga ends in death, a happy one ends in marriage.

So the speed with which the norm of marriage - indeed, of relationships of any sort - is being abandoned is startling.

Throughout the rich world, singlehood is on the rise. Among Americans aged 25-34, the proportion living without a spouse or partner has doubled in five decades, to 50 per cent for men and 41 per cent for women.

Since 2010, the share of people living alone has risen in 26 out of 30 rich countries. By The Economist's calculation, the world has at least 100 million more single people today than if coupling rates were still as high as in 2017. A great relationship recession is under way.

For some, this is evidence of social and moral decay. Many in the "pro-natalist" movement believe that the failure of the young to settle down and procreate threatens to end Western civilisation.

For others, it is evidence of admirable self-reliance. Vogue, a fashion magazine, recently suggested that for cool, ambitious young women, having a boyfriend is not merely unnecessary but "embarrassing".

In fact, the rise of singlehood is neither straightforwardly good nor bad.