You might take up bike riding, or yoga, or a book club, or even sign up for sewing lessons at a local shop.
Perhaps you want your future partner to have a certain level of education or affiliate with a particular political party. On the other hand, you might decide that a partner who is disrespectful to servers and strangers is a dealbreaker for you. Take some time to clarify for yourself what features of a relationship are most important to you and what ones you are willing to be flexible on.
Schedule a spa day. Get your eyebrows waxed every month. Take yourself to the movies. Go get that bag that you’ve been eyeing for some time. Book yourself a room at the nicest hotel in town for a night.
You might be asked to travel regularly or even relocate for a better position. You might be asked to work unplanned overtime. You may have several after-work networking functions to attend.
Some women aren’t as comfortable meeting people or being social. If you are somewhat uncomfortable meeting people, consider joining a variety of meetup groups or getting involved in a variety of your interests, which will naturally lead you to people who share at least one interest of yours. [8] X Research source
Ask your parents if they’d like to have weekly dinners. Invite your friends over for a wine tasting. Suggest that your friends or family take a short road trip with you to a popular tourist attraction. Organize a camping adventure with a group of friends or your siblings.
These intentional communities are not retirement communities, although there are retirement communities for single people. Intentional communities are typically housing cooperatives, or land trusts, or even communes.
You can find examples of social expectations everywhere, from commercials for cleaning products to reality television shows to print magazine ads for wedding dresses and engagement rings. Nowadays, marriage is usually seen as a union founded on love and mutual affection, versus a financial or security arrangement between two families. Remind critics that a woman doesn’t need to be married to be secure or successful anymore. If being a single woman is frowned upon in your culture, ask your family to explain their concerns, and be prepared that you may ultimately disagree on what is right for you – and that’s okay.
Remember, too, that you might be the first woman in your family to voluntarily remain single and succeed at being independent and happy, which is a foreign idea to some.
For example, if someone asks, “don’t you want to be happy?” you could respond with, “I certainly do, which is why I’m focusing on myself and my happiness. I am happily, voluntarily, single, am quite fulfilled, and am not looking for a relationship. I really appreciate you thinking of my happiness. ” Another option is to say, “I am no more unhappy with being single than you are with being married. ”
You have a variety of options that weren’t available to single women even 15 years ago. If you do want to have a child, look into sperm donation, adoption, and even fostering children for the state in which you live. On the other hand, you might feel discomfort with the idea of raising a child as a single woman. You’re not alone. Almost 20% of women are child free and the number grows annually.
If you’re single by choice, you may occasionally consider that you’d like a relationship. That’s entirely normal. Remember, you’re not committed to being single and can change your mind at any point, but you don’t have to do so. If you’re disappointed that you’re not in a relationship, consider getting into the dating scene. Join a dating website, join a singles club, or even a hobby club, where you might meet like-minded single people.
